-  .•  . 


PHINEAS    T.     BARNUM. 


STRUGGLES  AND  TRIUMPHS: 


OB, 


FORTY  TEARS'  RECOLLECTIONS 


OF 


P.   T.    BARNUM. 


WRITTEN  BY  HIMSELF. 


AUTHOR'S      EDITION, 


[BIOGRAPHY  COMPLETE  TO  APRIL,  1872.] 


" a  map  of  busy  life, 

Its  fluctuations,  and  its  vast  concerns." 


BUFFALO,    N.   Y. 
WARREN,    JOHNSON    &    CO. 

1872. 


G  y 


fa  'gJi/./II  'f  nio'. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1871,  by 
P.  T.  BARNUM, 

.  r]  ^  I 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 
Entered  also  at  Stationer's  Hall,  London,  England. 


ii T  a  A 


V)  <|j;ra  a— 

eii  hii/s  trtioi)ijf;' 


ot 


TO 

>,!  i.«7/  ,/'-/"---iq    u^hwiiA  Iffo-jg  .^if-i   ut  'j'-'hno 

MY    WIFE    AND    FAMILY 


''  "r  DEDICATE 

i 'N-'r: -;I,'y»r  Oil*  f'Tf-JH^J.  Ot  'rjfJSfl'J  y/t-H  J>«jj    ;  ^lOTr  Olft  1o  irfgtl 
THIS    STORY    OF  A    LIFE   WHICH     HAS    BEEN    LARGELY 

DEVOTED    TO    THEIR 
,,..,    ,'KU.  <J  tfJW   !-'i?«pj(b  1/iJIOlj 

INTERESTS    AND    SERVICE. 

s}J«  na  b«!  t^i  cun>  :;o:Mft»3*Mt»  oif)  fo  ^i^Q^ 
;TtjjM  ,.,>:>  _.  ?»  ..:.;-,-:.. L  .KoneW  (Hio7    v.-^X  ^fr^wo')  fe-voK   u*>i 


2026 


CARD  INTRODUCTORY. 


To  the  Public : — Although  the  large  octavo  edition  of  STRUGGLES 
AND  TRIUMPHS,  upon  fine  paper,  has  enjoyed  an  unprecedented  large 
sale  at  $3.50  and  upwards,  according  to  styles  of  binding ;  yet  deter 
mined  to  supply  the  popular  demand  for  a  cheaper  edition,  and  thus  in 
a  measure  render  to  the  great  American  people,  who  have  lavished 
upon  me  so  many  favors,  a  due  recognition  of  their  claims  upon  my 
gratitude  and  esteem, — I  have  purchased,  of  the  original  publishers, 
the  electrotype  plates  of  text  and  engravings  together  with  the  copy 
right  of  the  work  ;  and,  now  enabled  to  control  the  publication  myself, 
I  give  the  same  precise  text  with  the  original,  (together  with  an  addi 
tional  chapter  bringing  the  biography  down  to  April  2d,  1872,)  at  the 
low  price  of  $1.50. 

Copies  of  the  cheap  edition  can  be  had  on  application  to  the  Amer 
ican  News  Company,  New  York,  Warren,  Johnson  &  Co.,  Buffalo, 
and  elsewhere. 

Your  obedient  humble  servant, 

PHINEAS  T.  BARNUM. 
No.  438  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City,  April  2d,  1872. 


PREFACE. 


THIS  book  is  my  Recollections  of  Forty  Busy  Years, 
Few  men  in  civil  life  have  had  a  career  more  crowded 
with  incident,  enterprise,  and  various  intercourse  with 
the  world  than  mine.  With  the  alternations  of  success 
and  defeat,  extensive  travel  in  this  and  foreign  lands; 
a  large  acquaintance  with  the  humble  and  honored ; 
having  held  the  preeminent  place  among  all  who  have 
sought  to  furnish  healthful  entertainment  to  the  Amer 
ican  people,  and,  therefore,  having  had  opportunities 
for  garnering  an  ample  storehouse  of  incident  and  an 
ecdote,  while,  at  the  same  time,  needing  a  sagacity, 
energy,  foresight  and  fortitude  rarely  required  or  ex 
hibited  in  financial  affairs,  my  struggles  and  experi 
ences  (it  is  not  altogether  vanity  in  me  to  think)  can 
not  be  without  interest  to  my  fellow  countrymen. 

Various  leading  publishers  have  solicited  me  to 
place  at  their  disposal  my  Recollections  of  what  I 
have  been,  and  seen,  and  done.  These  proposals,  to 
gether  with  the  partiality  of  friends  and  kindred,  have 
constrained  me,  now  that  I  have  retired  from  all  active 
participation  in  business,  to  put  in  a  permanent  form 
what,  it  seems  to  me,  may  be  instructive,  entertaining 
and  profitable. 

Fifteen  years  since,  for  the  purpose,  principally,  of 
advancing  my  interests  as  proprietor  of  the  American 


VI  PREFACE. 

Museum,  I  gave  to  the  press  some  personal  reminis 
cences  and  sketches.  Having  an  extensive  sale,  they 
were,  however,  very  hastily,  and,  therefore,  imper 
fectly,  prepared.  These  are  not  only  out  of  print, 
but  the  plates  have  been  destroyed.  Though  includ 
ing,  necessarily,  in  common  with  them,  some  of  the 
facts  of  my  early  life,  in  order  to  make  this  auto 
biography  a  complete  and  continuous  narrative,  yet, 
as  the  latter  part  of  my  life  has  been  the  more  event 
ful,  and  my  recollections  so  various  and  abundant, 
this  book  is  new  and  independent  of  the  former.  It 
is  the  matured  and  leisurely  review  of  almost  half  a 
century  of  work  and  struggle,  and  final  success,  in 
spite  of  fraud  and  fire — the  story  of  which  is  blended 
with  amusing  anecdotes,  funny  passages,  felicitous 
jokes,  captivating  narratives, 'flaovel  experiences,  and 
remarkable  interviews— the  sunny  and  sombre  so  in 
termingled  as  not  only  to  entertain,  but  convey  useful 
lessons  to  all  classes  of  readers. 

These  Recollections  are  dedicated  to  those  who  are 
nearest  and  dearest  to  me,  with  the  feeling  that  they 
are  a  record  which  I  am  willing  to  leave  in  their 
hands,  as  a  legacy  which  they  will  value. 

And  above  and  beyond  this  personal  satisfaction,  I 
have  thought  that  the  review  of  a  life,  with  the  wide 
contrasts  of  humble  origin  and  high  and  honorable 
success ;  of  most  formidable  obstacles  overcome  by 
courage  and  constancy;  of  affluence  that  had  been 
patiently  won,  suddenly  wrenched  away,  and  triumph 
antly  regained — would  be  a  help  and  incentive  to  the 
young  man,  struggling,  it  may  be,  with  adverse  for 
tune,  or,  at  the  start,  looking"  into  the  future  with 
doubt  or  despair. 

All  autobiographies  are  necessarily  egotistical.     If 


PREFACE.  Vll 

my  pages  are  as  plentifully  sprinkled  with  "IV  as  was 
the  chief  ornament  of  Hood's  peacock,  u  who  thought 
he  had  the  eyes  of  Europe  on  his  tail,"  I  can  only  say, 
that  the  "Ts"  are  essential  to  the  story  I  have  told. 
It  has  been  my  purpose  to  narrate,  not  the  life  of 
another,  but  that  career  in  which  I  was  the  princi 
pal  actor. 

There  is  an  almost  universal,  and  not  unworthy 
curiosity  to  learn  the  methods  and  measures,  the  ups 
and  downs,  the  strifes  and  victories,  the  mental  and 
moral  personnel  of  those  who  have  taken  an  active 
and  prominent  part  in  human  affairs.  But  an  auto 
biography  has  attractions  and  merits  superior  to  those 
of  a  "  Life "  written  by  another,  who,  however  inti 
mate  with  its  subject,  cannot  know  all  that  helps  to 
give  interest  and  accuracy  to  the  narrative,  or  com 
pleteness  to  the  character.  The  story  from  the  actor's 
own  lips  has  always  a  charm  it  can  never  have  when 
told  by  another. 

That  my  narrative  is  interspersed  with  amusing  inci 
dents,  and  even  the  recital  of  some  very  practical  jokes, 
is  simply  because  my  natural  disposition  impels  me  to 
look  upon  the  brighter  side  of  life,  and  I  hope  my 
humorous  experiences  will  entertain  my  readers  as 
much  as  they  were  enjoyed  by  myself.  And  if  this 
record  of  trials  and  triumphs,  struggles  and  successes, 
shall  stimulate  any  to  the  exercise  of  that  energy,  in 
dustry,  and  courage  in  their  callings,  which  will  surely 
lead  to  happiness  and  prosperity,  one  main  object  I 
have  in  yielding  to  the  solicitations  of  my  friends 
and  my  publishers  will  have  been  accomplished. 

P.  T.  BARNUM. 


WALDEMERE,  BRIDGEPORT, 
Connecticut,  July  5,  1869 


.1 


PAQB. 

1    PORTRAIT  OP  P.  T.  BARNUM, Frontispiece 

2.    MY  PROPERTY  AND  MY  TENANT, 32 

8.    MY  DELIVERY  FROM  IMPRISONMENT,             65 

4.    BARNUM  ON  A  RAIL,        .  'I9.T!  f ; : 84 

6.    THE  COWARD  AND  THE  "  BRAVE," 100 

6.  VICTORY  OVER  VESTRYMEN, 138 

7.  SQUALLS  AND  BREEZES, 146 

8.  BATTLE  OP  THE  GIANTS,        .      '.' 162 

9.  THE  GREAT  DUKE  AND  THE  LITTLE  GENERAL, 184 

10.  ROYAL  HONORS  TO  THE  GENERAL,      . 192 

11.  MANURE  CART  EXPRESS,    ?  ^  ^  L  . 217 

12.  PUT  ME  IN  IRONS 243 

13.  IRANISTAN,     '/3V.'}  if.   -V  •>    .-    -V  <  V- 263 

14.  WELCOME  TO  JENNY  LIND,    ...                288 

15.  J.  G.  BENNETT  AND  HIS  MONKEY, •  327 

16.  ELEPHANTINE  AGRICULTURE, 358 

17.  MOUNTAIN  GROVE    CEMETERY, 369 

18.  THE  "  CUSTOMS  »  OF  THE  COUNTRY, 432 

19.  "  THE  LONG  AND  SHORT  OF  IT," 610 

20.  GRIZZLY  ADAMS  AND  HIS  FAMILY, 580 

21.  THE  PRINCE  IN  THE  MUSEUM, 643 

22.  EAST  BRIDGEPORT,     r^V*    i  •'    .    ji.        ,l     J  . '", v' 649 

23.  CAPTURING  WHITE  WHALES,            562 

24.  TROUBLE  IN  A  TURKISH  HAREM, 680 

25.  MARRIAGE  IN  MINIATURE,         .        .     -/*•;  '•   f  Q    ...*..  603 

26.  ALARM  AT  LINDENCROFT, •        .        .616 

27.  THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN,               .        .     [£HU1 680 

28.  AFTER  THE  FIRE, 702 

29.  BARNUM  FIVE  SECONDS  AHEAD 705 

30.  A  GROTESQUE  FIRE  COMPANY, 720 

31.  HALF-SHAVED, 726 

32.  SEA  SIDE  PARK,        .        .        .     yt?  -.vr.IV.  •    j»:      .   '•••  ;     :        .        .758 
33     WALDEMERE,          .        .   '       \  ..  *" »>Tv     .        .  768 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.— EARLY  LIFE. 

MY  BIRTH — FIRST  PROPERTY — FARMER  BOY  LIFE — GOING  TO  SCHOOL — EARLY 
ACQUISITIVENESS — A  HOLIDAY  PEDDLER — FIRST  VISIT  TO  NEW  YORK- 
LEARNING  TO  "SWAP" — MISERIES  FROM  MOLASSES  CANDY "  IVY  ISLAND" 

— ENTERING  UPON  MY  ESTATE — CLERKSHIP  IN  A  COUNTRY  STORE — TRAD 
ING  MORALS — THE  BETHEL  MEETING-HOUSE — STOVE  QUESTION SUNDAY 

SCHOOL  AND  BIBLE  CLASS — MY  COMPOSITION — THE  ONE  THING  NEEDFUL,      25 

CHAP.  II.— INCIDENTS  AND  ANECDOTES. 

DEATH  OF  MY  GRANDMOTHER— MY  FATHER— HIS  CHARACTER— HIS  DEATH- 
BEGINNING  THE  WORLD  BAREFOOTED — GOING  TO  GRASSY  PLAINS THE  TIN 

WARE   AND   GREEN    BOTTLE     LOTTERY — "CHARITY"    HALLETT OUR    FIRST 

MEETING— EVENING  RIDE  TO  BETHEL — A  NOVEL  FUR  TRADE — OLD  "  RUSHIA" 
AND  YOUNG  "  RUSHIA"— THE  BUYER  SOLD— COUNTRY  STORE  EXPERIENCES 
— OLD  "  UNCLE  BIBBINS  " — A  TERRIBLE  DUEL  BETWEEN  BENTON  AND  BIB- 
BINS—FALL  OF  BENTON — FLIGHT  OF  BIBBINS, 38 

CHAP.  III.— IN  BUSINESS  FOR  MYSELF. 

MY     CLERKSHIP      IN      BROOKLYN— UNEASINESS     AND     DISSATISFACTION— THE 

SMALL    POX — GOING    HOME     TO     RECRUIT "CHARITY"     HALLETT    AGAIN 

BACK  TO  BROOKLYN— OPENING  A  PORTER-HOUSE—SELLING  OUT— MY  CLERK 
SHIP  IN  NEW  YORK— MY  HABITS— OBSERVANCE  OF  SUNDAY— IN  BETHEL 
ONCE  MORE— BEGINNING  BUSINESS  ON  MY  OWN  ACCOUNT— OPENING  DAY 
—LARGE  SALES  AND  GREAT  PROFITS— THE  LOTTERY  BUSINESS— VIEWS 
THEREON— ABOUT  A  POCKET-BOOK—WITS  AND  WAGS— SWEARING  OUT  A 
FINE— FIRST  APPEARANCE  AT  THE  BAR— SECURING  "ARABIAN  "—A  MODEL 
LOVE-LETTER, 48 

CHAP.  IV.— STRUGGLES  FOR  A  LIVELIHOOD. 

PLEASURE  VISIT  TO  PHILADELPHIA— LIVING  IN  GRAND  STYLE— THE  BOTTOM 
OF  THE  PILE— BORROWING  MONEY— MY  MARRIAGE— RETURN  TO  BETHEL 

EARLY   MARRIAGES MORE   PRACTICAL   JOKING— SECOND   APPEARANCE    AS 

COUNSEL — GOING    TO    HOUSEKEEPING— SELLING     BOOKS    AT    AUCTION — THE 

"YELLOW    STORE" — A  NEW   FIELD— "  THE   HERALD   OF    FREEDOM" — MY 

EDITORIAL  CAREER — LIBEL  SUITS— FINED  AND  IMPRISONED — LIFE  IN  THE 
DANBURY  JAIL — CELEBRATION  OF  MY  LIBERATION — POOR  BUSINESS  AND 

BAD    DEBTS— REMOVAL   TO   NEW  YORK — SEEKING    MY    FORTUNE "  WANTS  " 

IN  THE  "SUN" — WM.  NIBLO — KEEPING  A  BOARDING-HOUSE — A  WHOLE 
SHIRT  ON  MY  BACK, 59 

1* 


14  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  V.— MY  START  AS  A  SHOWMAN. 

THE  AMUSEMENT  BUSINESS — DIFFERENT  GRADES — CATERING  FOR  THE  PUBLIC 
—  MY  CLAIMS,  AIMS  AND  EFFORTS — JOICE  HETH — APPARENT  GENUINENESS 
OF  HER  VOUCHERS — BEGINNING  LIFE  AS  A  SHOWMAN — SUCCESS  OF  MY 

FIRST    EXHIBITION SECOND    STEP    IN    THE    SHOW  LINE — SIGNOR  VIVALLA 

MY    FIRST    APPEARANCE   ON   ANY    STAGE— AT   WASHINGTON — ANNE    ROYALL 

STIMULATING    THE    PUBLIC — CONTESTS    BETWEEN   VIVALLA    AND    ROBERTS 

EXCITEMENT  AT  FEVER  HEAT — CONNECTING  MYSELF  WITH  A  CIRCUS — BREAD 

AND    BUTTER   DINNER    FOR    THE    WHOLE    COMPANY NARROW    ESCAPE     FROM 

SUFFOCATION— LECTURING    AN     ABUSIVE    CLERGYMAN — AARON    TURNER — A 

TERRIBLE     PRACTICAL    JOKE 1     AM    REPRESENTED     TO    BE-  A    MURDERER — 

RAILS   AND    LYNCH   LAW— NOVEL  MEANS   FOR   SECURING   NOTORIETY,     .      71 

CHAP.  VI.— MY  FIRST  TRAVELING  COMPANY. 

THREE  MEALS  AND  LODGING  IN  ONE  HOUR — TURNING  THE  TABLES  ON  TURNER 
— A  SON  AS  OLD  AS  HIS  FATHER— LEAVING  THE  CIRCUS  WITH  TWELVE 
HUNDRED  DOLLARS — MY  FIRST  TRAVELLING  COMPANY — PREACHING  TO  THE 
PEOPLE APPEARING  AS  A  NEGRO  MINSTREL THREATENED  WITH  ASSAS 
SINATION ESCAPES  FROM  DANGER TEMPERANCE REPORT  OF  MY  ARREST 

FOR  MURDER RE-ENFORCING  MY  COMPANY "  BARNUM's  GRAND  SCIENTIFIC 

AND     MUSICAL     THEATRE" OUTWITTING     A     SHERIFF "LADY     HAYES'S "" 

MANSION    AND     PLANTATION A   BRILLIANT    AUDIENCE BASS    DRUM    SOLO 

CROSSING   THE   INDIAN   NATION — JOE  PENTLAND   AS  A  SAVAGE — TERROR  AND 

FLIGHT    OF   VIVALLA A    NONPLUSSED    LEGERDEMAIN     PERFORMER A    MALE 

EGG-LAYER DISBANDING      MY      COMPANY A     NEW     PARTNERSHIP — PUBLIC 

LECTURING DIFFICULTY     WITH    A    DROVER — THE     STEAMBOAT     "  CERES  " 

SUDDEN   MARRIAGE   ON   BOARD — MOBBED   IN    LOUISIANA — ARRIVAL  AT    NEW 


ORLEANS, 


CHAP.  VII.— AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  LADDER. 


66 


DISGUST   AT   THE   TRAVELLING   BUSINESS — ADVERTISING   FOR  AN  ASSOCIATE — 

RUSH   OF   THE   MILLION-MAKERS COUNTERFEITERS,  CHEATS   AND  QUACKS 

A    NEW    BUSINESS SWINDLED    BY     MY     PARTNER DIAMOND    THE    DANCER 

A     NEW      COMPANY DESERTIONS — SUCCESSES     AT     NEW     ORLEANS — TYRONE 

POWER  AND  FANNY  ELLSLER IN  JAIL  AGAIN BACK  TO  NEW  YORK ACT 
ING  AS  A  BOOK  AGENT LEASING  VAUXIIALL — FROM  HAND  TO  MOUTH 

DETERMINATION     TO    MAKE     MONEY FORTUNE     OPENING      HER     DOOR THE 

AMERICAN  MUSEUM  FOR  SALE — NEGOTIATIONS  FOR  THE  PURCHASE-r-HOPES 
AND  DISAPPOINTMENTS — THE  TRAIN  LAID SMASHING  A  RIVAL  COMPANY,  104 

CHAP.  VIII.— THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM. 

A.   TRAP   SET   FOR   ME— I    CATCH    THE    TRAPPERS — I    BECOME    PROPRIETOR    Of 

THE    AMERICAN    MUSEUM HISTORY    OF    THE    ESTABLISHMENT HARD    WORK 

AND  COLD  DINNERS ADDITIONS  TO  THE  MUSEUM — EXTRAORDINARY  ADVER 
TISING — BARNUM'S  BRICK-MAN—EXCITING  PUBLIC  CURIOSITY — INCIDENTS 

AND  ANECDOTES— A  DRUNKEN  ACTOR— IMITATIONS  OF  THE  ELDER  BOOTH 
PLEASING  MY  PATRONS SECURING  TRANSIENT  NOVELTIES— LIVING  CURI 
OSITIES MAKING  PEOPLE  TALK A  WILDERNESS  OF  WONDERS NIAGARA 

FALLS  WITH    REAL  WATER THE    CLUB    THAT    KILLED  COOK SELLING  LOUIS 

GAYLORD    CLARK THE    FISH    WITH     LEGS THE     FEJEE     MERMAID HOW    IT 

CAME  INTO  MY  POSSESSION — THE  TRUE  STORY  OF  THAT  CURIOSITY — JAPAN 
ESE  MANUFACTURE  OF  FABULOUS  ANIMALS— THE  USE  I  MADE  OF  THE  MER 
MAID — WHOLESALE  ADVERTISING  AGAIN — THE  BALCONY  BAND — DRUMMOND 
LIGHTS, '  116 


CONTENTS.  15 

CIIAF.  IX.— THE  ROAD  TO  RICHES. 

THE  MOST  POPULAR  PLACE  OF  AMUSEMENT  IN  THE  WORLD— THE  MORAL 
DRAMA — REFORMING  THE  ABUSES  OF  THE  STAGE — FAMOUS  ACTORS  AND 

ACTRESSES    AT    THE    MUSEUM ADDING    TO    THE     SALOONS AFTERNOON    AND 

HOLIDAY  PERFORMANCES — FOURTH  OF  JULY  FLAGS THE  MUSEUM  CONNECT 
ED  WITH  ST.  PAUL'S — VICTORY  OVER  THE  VESTRYMEN — THE  EGRESS — ST. 
PATRICK'S  DAY  IN  THE  MORNING — A  WONDERFUL  ANIMAL,  THE  "AIGRESS" 

— INPOURING  OF  MONEY — ZOOLOGICAL  ERUPTION THE  CITY  ASTOUNDED — 

BABY    SHOWS,   AND   THEIR    OBJECT FLOWER,   BIRD,   DOG   AND  POULTRY 

SHOWS — GRAND   FREE  BUFFALO  HUNT  IN  HOBOKEN N.   P.   WILLIS — -THE 

WOOLLY    HORSE — WHERE    HE    CAME    FROM COLONEL   BENTON    BEATEN — 

PURPOSE  OF  THE  EXHIBITION — AMERICAN  INDIANS — P.  T.  BARNUM  EXHIB 
ITED — A  CURIOUS  SPINSTER — THE  TOUCHING  STORY  OF  CHARLOTTE  TEM 
PLE — SERVICES  IN  THE  LECTURE  ROOM — A  FINANCIAL  VIEW  OF  THE 

MUSEUM — AN  "AWFUL  RICH  MAN,"  .  .  .  .  i/.  .'lA;i 133 

CHAP.  X.— ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION. 

PEALE'S  MUSEUM— MYSTERIOUS  MESMERISM — YANKEE  HILL — HENRY  BENNETT 

— THE  RIVAL  MUSEUMS — THE  ORPHEAN  AND  ORPHAN  FAMILIES THE  FUDGEE 

MERMAID — BUYING  OUT  MY  RIVAL — RUNNING  OPPOSITION  TO  MYSELF — 

ABOLISHING  THEATRICAL  NUISANCES NO  CHECKS  AND  .NO  BAR THE 

MUSEUM MY  MANIA MY  FIRST  INTERVIEW  WITH  CHARLES  S.  STRATTON 

— GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  IN  NEW  YORK — RE-ENGAGEMENT — AN  APT  PUPIL 

FREE  FROM  DEBT—THE  PROFITS  OF  TWO  YEARS IN  SEARCH  OF  A  NEW 

FIELD — STARTING  FOR  LIVERPOOL — THE  GOOD  SHIP  "  YORKSHIRE  " MY 

PARTY — ESCORT  TO  SANDY  HOOK — THE  VOYAGE — A  TOBACCO  TRICK — A 
BRAGGING  JOHN  BULL  OUTWITTED — ARRIVAL  AT  LIVERPOOL — A  GENTLE 
MAN  BEGGAR — MADAME  CELESTE — CHEAP  DWARFS — TWO-PENNY  SHOWS — 
EXHIBITION  OF  GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  IN  LIVERPOOL — FIRST-CLASS  EN 
GAGEMENT  FOR  LONDON, 156 

CHAP.  XL— GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  IN  ENGLAND. 

ARRIVAL  IN  LONDON — THE  GENERAL'S  DEBUT  IN  THE  PRINCESS'S  THEATRE 
— ENORMOUS  SUCCESS — MY  MANSION  AT  THE  WEST  END — DAILY  LEVEES 
FOR  THE  NOBILITY  AND  GENTRY — HON.  EDWARD  EVERETT — HIS  INTER 
EST  IN  THE  GENERAL — VISIT  TO  THE  BARONESS  ROTHSCHILD — OPENING 

IN  EGYPTIAN  HALL,  PICCADILLY MR.  CHARLES  MURRAY,  MASTER  OF  THE 

QUEEN'S  HOUSEHOLD — AT  BUCKINGHAM  PALACE  BY  COMMAND  OF  HER 
MAJESTY — A  ROYAL  RECEPTION — THE  FAVORABLE  IMPRESSION  MADE  BY 
THE  GENERAL — AMUSING  INCIDENTS  OF  THE  VISIT — BACKING  OUT — 
FIGHT  WITH  A  POODLE — COURT  JOURNAL  NOTICE — SECOND  VISIT  TO  THE 
QUEEN THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  AND  PRINCESS  ROYAL — THE  QUEEN  OF 

THE  BELGIANS — THIRD  VISIT  TO  BUCKINGHAM  PALACE — KING  LEOPOLD, 
OF  BELGIUM — ASSURED  SUCCESS THE  BRITISH  PUBLIC  EXCITED — EGYP 
TIAN  HALL  CROWDED — QUEEN  DOWAGER  ADELAIDE THE  GENERAL'S 

WATCH— NAPOLEON  AND  THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON — DISTINGUISHED 
FRIENDS, ' 173 

CHAP.  XII.— IN  FRANCE. 

GOING  OVER  TO  ARRANGE  PRELIMINARIES — PREVIOUS  VISIT  TO  PARIS — ROB 
ERT  IIOUDIN — WONDERFUL  MECHANICAL  TOYS — THE  AUTOMATON  LETTER- 
WRITER — DION  BOUCICAULT — TAX  ON  NATURAL  CURIOSITIES — HOW  I  COM 
PROMISED — THE  GENERAL  AND  PARTY  IN  PARIS — FIRST  VISIT  TO  KING 

LOUIS  PHILIPPE — A  SPLENDID  PRESENT — DIPLOMACY — I  ASK  A  FAVOR  AND 
GET  JT — LONG  CHAMPS — THE  GENERAL'S  EQUIPAGE THE  FINEST  ADVER 
TISEMENT  EVER  KNOWN — ALL  PARIS  IN  A  FUROR OPENING  OF  THE  LEVKES 

— "TOM  POUCE  "  EVERYWHERE — THE  GENERAL  AS  AN  ACTOR — "PETIT 
POUCKT" — SECOND  AND  THIRD  VISITS  AT  THE  TUILERIES — INVITATION  TO 
ST.  CLOUD — THE  GENERAL  PERSONATING  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE — ST.  DENIS 
— THE  INVALIDES — REGNIER — ANt  CDOTE  OF  FRANKLIN — LEAVING  PARIS — 

TOUR    THROUGH    FRANCE— DEPARTURE    FOR    BRUSSELS, 186 


1C  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  XIII.— IN  BELGIUM. 
CROSSING  THE   FRONTIER — PROFESSOR  PINTE — QUALIFICATIONS  OF  A  GOOD 

SHOWMAN— "  SOFT    SUP  "—GENEROUS    DISTRIBUTION    OF    MEDALS PRINCE 

CHARLES  STRATTON— AT  BRUSSELS— PRESENTATION  TO  KING  LEOPOLD  AND 
HIS  QUEEN— THE  GENERAL'S  JEWELS  STOLEN— THE  THIEF  CAUGHT — RE 
COVERY  OF  THE  PROPERTY— THE  FIELD  OF  WATERLOO MIRACULOUSLY 

MULTIPLIED      RELICS— CAPTAIN      TIPPITIWITCHET     OF     THE      CONNECTICUT 

FUSI  LEERS— AN     ACCIDENT GETTING     BACK     TO     BRUSSELS     IN     A     CART— 

STRATTON    SWINDLED— LOSING    AN    EXHIBITION TWO    HOURS    IN    THE    RAIN 

ON   THE   ROAD— THE   CUSTOM   OF   THE   COUNTRY— A    STRICT    CONSTRUCTION- 

IST— STRATTON'S  HEAD  SHAVED—"  BRUMMAGEM  "  RELICS — HOW  THEY  ARE 

PLANTED    AT    WATERLOO WHAT    LYONS    SAUSAGES    ARE    MADE    OF— FROM 

BRUSSELS   TO   LONDON, 208 

CHAP.  XIV.— IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN. 

LEVEES  IN  EGYPTIAN  HALL — UNDIMINISHED  SUCCESS — OTHER  ENGAGEMENTS 
—"UP  IN  A  BALLOON  "—PROVINCIAL  TOUR— TRAVELLING  BY  POST— GOING 
TO  AMERICA — A.  T.  STEWART — SAMUEL  ROGERS — AN  EXTRA  TRAIN — AN 
ASTONISHED  RAILWAY  SUPERINTENDENT — LEFT  BEHIND  AND  LOCKED  UP — 
SUNDAYS  IN  LONDON -BUSINESS  AND  PLEASURE— ALBERT  SMITH — A  DAY 
WITH  HIM  AT  WARWICK — STRATFORD  ON  AVON — A  POETICAL  BARBER- 
WARWICK  CASTLE — OLD  GUY*S  TRAPS OFFER  TO  BUY  THE  LOT — THREAT 

TO  BURST  THE  SHOW — ALBERT  SMITH  AS  A  SHOWMAN — LEARNING  THE 
BUSINESS  FROM  BARNUM — THE  WARWICK  RACE'S  RIVAL  DWARFS — MANU 
FACTURED  GIANTESSES — THE  HAPPY  FAMILY — THE  ROAD  FROM  WARWICK 
TO  COVENTRY— PEEPING  TOM — THE  YANKEE  GO-AHEAD  PRINCIPLE — AL 
BERT  SMITH'S  ACCOUNT  OF  A  DAY  WITH  BARNUM, 223 

CHAP.  XV.— RETURN  TO  AMERICA. 

THE  WIZARD  OF  THE  NORTH — A  JUGGLER  BEATEN  AT  HIS  OWN  TRICKS — 
SECOND  VISIT  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES — REVEREND  DOCTOR  ROBERT  BAIRD 
— CAPTAIN  JUDKINS  THREATENS  TO  PUT  ME  IN  IRONS — VIEWS  WITH  RE 
GARD  TO  SECTS— A  WICKED  WOMAN — THE  SIMPSONS  IN  EUROPE— REMIN 
ISCENCES  OF  TRAVEL SAUCE  AND  "  8ASS  " TEA  TOO  SWEET A  UNIVER 
SAL  LANGUAGE — ROAST  DUCK — SNOW  IN  AUGUST — TALES  OF  TRAVELLERS 

SIMPSON  NOT    TO    BE    TAKEN  IN HOLLANDERS  IN    BRUSSELS WHERE    ALL 

THE    DUTCHMEN    COME    FROM THREE  YEARS    IN    EUROPE WARM    PERSONAL 

FRIENDS DOCTOR  C.  8.  BREWSTER HENRY  8UMNER GEORGE  8.  AND  LO 
RENZO  DRAPER GEORGE  P.  PUTNAM OUR  LAST  PERFORMANCE  IN  DUBLIN 

— DANIEL  O'CONNELL — END  OF  OUR  TOUR — DEPARTURE  FOR  AMERICA — 
ARRIVAL  IN  NEW  YORK 239 

CHAP.  XVI.— AT  HOME. 

RENEWING  THE  LEASE  OF  THE  MUSEUM  BUILDING — TOM  THUMB  IN  AMERICA — 
TOUR  THROUGH  THE  COUNTRY — JOURNEY  TO  CUBA — BARNUM  A  CURIOSITY 
— RAISING  TURKEYS — CEASING  TO  BE  A  TRAVELLING  SHOWMAN — RETURN 
TO  BRIDGEPORT — ADVANTAGES  AND  CAPABILITIES  OF  THAT  CITY — SEARCH 
FOR  A  HOME — THE  FINDING — BUILDING  AND  COMPLETION  OF  IRANISTAN — 
GRAND  HOUSE-WARMING — BUYING  THE  BALTIMORE  MUSEUM — OPENING  THE 

PHILADELPHIA      MUSEUM — CATERING       FOR      QUAKERS THE      TEMPERANCE 

PLEDGE  AT  THE  THEATRE — PURCHASING  PEALE'S  PHILADELPHIA  COLLEC 
TION — MY  AGRICULTURAL  AND  ARBORCULTURAL  DOINGS — "GERSY  BLEW  " 
CHICKENS — HOW  I  SOLD  MY  POTATOES — HOW  I  BOUGHT  OTHKR  PEOPLES' 
POTATOES— CUTTING  OFF  GRAFTS— MY  DEER  PARK— MY  GAME-KEEPLR — 
FKANK  LESLIE— PLEASURES  OF  IIOME, ....  255 


CONTENTS.  17 

CHAP.  XVII.— TFIE  JENNY  LIND  ENTERPRISE. 


GRAND  SCHEME — CONGRESS  OF  ALL  NATIONS — A  BOLD  AND  BRILLIANT  ENTER 
PRISE — THE  JENNY  LIND  ENGAGEMENT MY  AGENT  IN  EUROPE HIS  IN 
STRUCTIONS CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  MISS  LIND BENEDICT  AND  BELLETTI 

— JOSHUA  BATES — CHEVALIER  WYCKOFF — THE  CONTRACT  SIGNED MY  RE 
CEPTION  OF  THE  NEWS — THE  ENTIRE  SUM  OF  MONEY  FOR  THE  ENGAGE 
MENT  SENT  TO  LONDON — MY  FIRST  LIND  LETTER  TO  THE  PUBLIC A  POOR 

PORTRAIT — MUSICAL  NOTES   IN   WALL   STREET — A   FRIEND   IN   NEED,          270 


CHAP.  XVIII.  THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  NEW  YORK. 


FINAL  CONCERTS  IN  LIVERPOOL — DEPARTURE  FOR  AMERICA— ARRIVAL  OFF 
STATEN  ISLAND MY  FIRST  INTERVIEW  WITH  JENNY  LIND — THE  TREMEN 
DOUS  THRONG  AT  THE  WHARF TRIUMPHAL  ARCH "WELCOME  TO  AMER 
ICA" EXCITEMENT  IN  THE  CITY — SERENADE  AT  THE  IRVING  HOUSE — THE 

PRIZE    ODE — BAYARD    TAYLOR   THE    PRIZEMAN — "  BARNUM'S    PARNASSUS  " 

"  BARNUMOPSIS  " — FIRST  CONCERT    IN  CASTLE  GARDEN — A  NEW  AGREEMENT 

RECEPTION  OF  JENNY    LIND UNBOUNDED  ENTHUSIASM — BARNUM  CALLED 

OUT — JULIUS    BENEDICT THE    SUCCESS   OF   THE   ENTERPRISE    ESTABLISHED 

— TWO   GRAND    CHARITY    CONCERTS    IN    NEW   YORK — DATE    OF    THE    FIRST 
REGULAR    CONCERT,     ....  286 


CHAP.  XIX.— SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT. 


HEAD-WORK    AND     HAND-WORK — MANAGING     PUBLIC     OPINION — CREATING     A 
FUROR— THE    NEW    YORK    HERALD— JENNY     LIND's    EVIL    ADVISERS— JOHN 

JAY — MISS  LIND'S    CHARITIES A  POOR  GIRL  IN  BOSTON THE  NIGHTINGALE 

AT    IRANISTAN RUMOR   OF   HER    MARRIAGE    TO   P.    T.    BARNUM THE    STORY 

BASED  ON  OUR  " ENGAGEMENT  "—WHAT  IRANISTAN  DID  FOR  ME— AVOIDING 
CROWDS — IN    PHILADELPHIA    AND     BALTIMORE — A     SUBSTITUTE    FOR    MISS 

LIND OUR     ORCHESTRA PRESIDENT     FILLMORE,      CLAY,     FOOTE,     BENTON, 

SCOTT,    CASS,  AND   WEBSTER— VISIT   TO   MT.  VERNON— CHRISTMAS   PRESENTS 

— NEW   YEAR'S   EVE — WE   GO   TO    HAVANA — PLAYING    BALL — FREDERIKA. 

BREMER — A  HAPPY  MONTH  IN  CUBA, »   ....   301 


CHAP.  XX.— INCIDENTS  OF  THE  TOUR. 


PROTEST   AGAINST   PRICES   IN   HAVANA — THE    CUBANS    SUCCUMB — JENNY   LIND 

TAKES    THE    CITY   BY    STORM A   MAGNIFICENT  TRIUMPH — COUNT  PENALVER 

— A   SPLENDID   OFFER — MR.    BRINCKERHOFF BENEFIT   FOR   THE   HOSPITALS 

— REFUSING   TO    RECEIVE    THANKS VIVALLA    AND    HIS    DOG HENRY    BEN 
NETT — HIS      PARTIAL      INSANITY — OUR     VOYAGE     TO     NEW     ORLEANS THE 

EDITOR    OF    THE    NEW    YORK    HERALD    ON    BOARD — I    SAVE    THE    LIFE    OF 

JAMES    GORDON    BENNETT ARRIVAL    AT    THE     CRESCENT    CITY CHEATING 

THE    CROWD — A  DUPLICATE   MISS    LIND A   BOY  IN   RAPTURES — A  MAMMOTH 

HOG — UP    THE    MISSISSIPPI AMUSEMENTS     ON    BOARD — IN      LEAGUE     WITH 

THE    EVIL   ONE AN   AMAZED   MULATTO, 319 


18  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  XXL—  JEN  NY  LIND. 

ARRIVAL  AT  ST.  LOUIS— -SURPRISING  PROPOSITION  OF  MISS  LIND*S  SECRETARY 
— HOW  THE  MANAGER  MANAGED — READINESS  TO  CANCEL  THE  CONTRACT — 

CONSULTATION  WITH  "  UNCLE  SOL." — BARNUM  NOT  TO  BE  HIRED A  "JOKE" 

TEMPERANCE     LECTURE     IN     THE     THEATRE SOL.     SMITH A     COMEDIAN, 

AUTHOR,    AND    LAWYER UNIQUE     DEDICATION JENNY     LINDAS     CHARACTER 

AND     CHARITIES SHARP    WORDS     FROM     JIIE    WEST SELFISH     ADVISERS 

MISS    LIND'S  GENEROUS  IMPULSES HER  SIMPLE  AND  CHILDLIKE  CHARACTER 

CONFESSIONS  OF  A  MANAGER PRIVATE  REPUTATION  AND  PUBLIC  RENOWN 

CHARACTER  AS    A    STOCK    IN    TRADE LE    GRAND  SMITH MR.  DOLBY — THE 

ANGELIC    SIDE    KEPT    OUTSIDE MY    OWN    SHARE     IN    THE    PUBLIC    BENEFITS 

— JUSTICE    TO   MISS   LIND   AND   MYSELF, 334 

CHAP.  XXII.— CLOSE  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN. 

PENITENT  TICKET  PURCHASERS — VISIT  TO  THE  "HERMITAGE*' — "APRIL-FOOL" 
FUN — THE  MAMMOTH  CAVE SIGNOR  SALVI GEORGE  D.  PRENTICE PER 
FORMANCE  IN  A  PORK  HOUSE — RUSE  AT  CINCINNATI ANNOYANCES  AT 

PITTSBURGH — LE  GRAND  SMITH'S  GRAND  JOKE — RETURN  TO  NEW  YORK — 
THE  FINAL  CONCERTS  IN  CASTLE  GARDEN  AND  METROPOLITAN  HALL — THE 
ADVISERS  APPEAR — THE  NINETY-THIRD  CONCERT — MY  OFFER  TO  CLOSK 

THE     ENGAGEMENT MISS     LIND'S     LETTER    ACCEPTING     MY     PROPOSITION — 

STORY    ABOUT    AN    "  IMPROPER   PLACE  " JENNY'S     CONCERTS     ON     HER    OWN 

ACCOUNT — HER  MARRIAGE  TO  MR.  OTTO  GOLDSCHMIDT— CORDIAL  RELATIONS 
BETWEEN  MRS.  LIND  GOLDSCHMIDT  AND  MYSELF AT  HOME  AGAIN — STATE 
MENT  OF  THE  TOTAL  RECEIPTS  OF  THE  CONCERTS, o44 

CHAP.  XXIIL— OTHER  ENTERPRISES. 

ANOTHER  VENTURE — "  BARNUM*S  GREAT  ASIATIC  CARAVAN,  MUSEUM,  AND 
MENAGERIE" — HUNTING  ELEPHANTS — GENERAL  TOM  THUMB — ELEPHANT 
PLOWING  IN  CONNECTICUT — CURIOUS  QUESTIONS  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS — 
THE  PUBLIC  INTEREST  IN  MY  NOVEL  FARMING — HOW  MUCH  AN  ELEPHANT 
CAN  REALLY  "  DRAW  " SIDE-SHOWS  AND  VARIOUS  ENTERPRISES OBSE 
QUIES  OF  NAPOLEON THE  CRYSTAL  PALACE CAMPANALOGIANS AMERICAN 

INDIANS    IN    LONDON AUTOMATON     SPEAKER THE     DUKE    OF   WELLINGTON 

ATTEMPT  TO  B"Y  PHAKESPEARE'S  HOUSE DISSOLVING  VIEWS THE  CHI 
NESE  COLLECTION WONDERFUL  SCOTCH  BOYS SOLVING  THE  MYSTERY  OF 

DOUBLE    SIGHT — THE    BATEMAN    CHILDREN CATHERINE    HAYES — IRANISTAN 

ON  FIRE MY  ELDEST  DAUGHTER'S  MARRIAGE BENEFITS  FOR  THE  BRIDGE 
PORT  LIBRARY  AND  THE  MOUNTAIN  GROVE  CEMETERY,  .  .  .  .  .  358 

CHAP.  XXIV.— WORK  AND  PLAY. 

ALFRED  BUNN,  OF  DRURY  LANE  THEATRE — AMUSING  INTERVIEW — MR.  LEVY, 
OF  THE  LONDON  DAILY  TELEGRAPH — VACATIONS  AT  HOME — MY  PRESIDENCY 
OF  THE  FAIRFIELD  COUNTY  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY EXHIBITING  A  PICK 
POCKET—PHILOSOPHY  OF  HUMBUG — A  CHOP-FALLEN  TICKET-SELLER — A 

PROMPT     PAYMASTER — BARNUM     IN      BOSTON — A     DELUDED     HACK-DRIVEK 

PHILLIPS'S     FIRE    ANNIHILATOR — HONORABLE     ELISIfA    WHITTLESEY — TRIAL 

OF  THE  ANNIHILATOR    IN    NEW  YORK PEQUONXOCK    BANK    OF    BRIDGEPORT 

— THE  ILLUSTRATED  NEWS THE  WORLD'S  FAIR  IN  NEW  YORK — MY  PRESI 
DENCY  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION ATTEMPT  TO  EXCITE  PUBLIC  INTEREST-r- 

MONSTER  JULIEN  CONCERTS — RESIGNATION  OF  THE  CRYSTAL  PALACE  PRESI 
DENCY — FAILURE  OF  THE  CONCERN,  .  ,  ,.'.'',.,>. 371 


CONTENTS.  19 

CHAP.  XXV:— THE  JEROME  CLOCK  COMPANY  ENTANGLEMENT. 

T?&   EAST    BRIDGEPORT   ENTERPRISE — W.  H.  NOBLE — PLANS    FOR   A   NEW  CITY 

*^DR.    TIMOTHY     DWIGHT'S    TESTIMONY — INVESTING    A    FORTUNE SELLING 

CITY  LOTS MONEY-MAKING  A  SECONDARY  CONSIDERATION — CLOCK  COM 
PANY  IN  LITCHFIELD THE  "TERRY  AND  BARNUM  MANUFACTURING  COM 
PANY" — -THE  JEROME  CLOCK  COMPANY — BAITING  FOR  BITES— FALSE  REP 
RESENTATIONS — HOW  I  WAS  DELUDED WHAT  t  AGREED  TO  DO — THE  COUN 
TER  AGREE31ENT NOTES  WITH  BLANK  DATES — THE  LIMIT  OF  MY  RESPON 
SIBILITY — HOW  IT  WAS  EXCEEDED — STARTLING  DISCOVERIES A  RUINED 

MAN — PAYING    MY   OWN    HONEST    DEBTS — BARNUM    DUPED — MY    FAILURE 

THE    BARNUM  AND  JEROME  CLOCK   BUBBLE — MORALISTS   MAKING  USE  OF  MY 

MISFORTUNES WHAT    PREACHERS,   PAPERS,   AND    PEOPLE    SAID    ABOUT    ME 

— DOWN    IN    THE   DEPTHS, ..    ,      .      .      .      .      .      .      .      384 

CHAP.  XXVI.— CLOUDS  AND  SUNSHINE. 

FRIENDS    TO    THE    RESCUE— MONEY  OFFERS    REFUSED— BENEFITS   DECLINED 

MAGNIFICENT  OFFER  OF  PROMINENT  NEW  YORK  CITIZENS — WILLIAM  E. 
BURTON — LAURA  KEENE WILLIAM  NIBLO — GENERAL  TOM  THUMB — EDITO 
RIAL  SYMPATHY — "A  WORD  FOR  BARNUM  "  IN  BOSTON — LETTER  FROM 
"  MRS.  PARTINGTON  " — CITIZENS'  MEETING  IN  BRIDGEPORT — RESOLUTIONS 

OF    RESPECT    AND    CONDOLENCE MY    LETTER   ON    THE     SITUATION — TENDER 

OF   FIFTY    THOUSAND  DOLLARS MAGNITUDE  OF  THE  DECEPTION  PRACTICED 

UPON  ME — PROPOSITION  OF  COMPROMISE  WITH  MY  CREDITORS — A  TRAP 
LAID  FOR  ME  IN  PHILADELPHIA — THE  SILVER  LINING  TO  THE  CLOUD— 

THE    BLOW    A    BENEFIT    TO    MY    FAMILY THE    REV.    DR.    E.    II.    CHAPIN — MY 

DAUGHTER  HELEN — A  LETTER  WORTH  TEN  THOUSAND  DOLLARS — OUR  NEW 
I'OMK  IN  NEW  YORK, 395 

CHAP.  XXVII.— REST,  BUT  NOT  RUST. 

SALE  OF  THE  MUSEUM  COLLECTION — SUPPLEMENTARY  PROCEEDINGS  OF  MY 
CREDITORS  — EXAMINATIONS  IN  COURT -BARNUM  AS  A  BAR  TENDER— PER 
SECUTION — THE  SUMMER  SEASON  ON  LONG  ISLAND THE  MUSKUM  MAN  ON 

SHOW — CHARLES  HOWELL — A  GREAT  NATURAL  CURIOSITY — VALUE  OF  A 
HONK — PROPOSING  TO  BUY  IT — A  BLACK  WHALE  PAYS  MY  SUMMER'S 
BOARD — A  TURN  IN  THE  TIDE — THE  WHEELER  AND  WILSON  SEWING  MA 
CHINE  COMPANY — THEIR  REMOVAL  TO  EAST  BRIDGEPORT — THE  TERRY 
AND  BARNUM  CLOCK  FACTORY  OCCUPIED — NEW  CITY  PROPERTY  LOOKING 
UP — A  LOAN  OF  §5,000— THE  CALSK  OF  MY  RUIN  PROMISES  TO  BE  MY  RE- 

DKMPTION— SETTING    SAIL   FOR    ENGLAND GENERAL    TOM    THUMB — LITTLE 

CORDELIA   HOWARD,    .   j^j^.v!  *'•  >T;     '       '      •       •      • 406 

CHAP.  XXVIIL— ABROAD  AGAIN. 

OLD  FRIENDS    IN  OLD  ENGLAND ALBERT    SMITH  AS    A    SHOWMAN — HIS  ASCENT 

OF  MONT  BLANC — POPULARITY  OF  THE  ENTERTAINMENT — THEGARKICK 
CLUB — "PHINEAS  CUTECRAFT  " — THE  ELEVEN  THOUSAND  VIRGINS  OF  CO 
LOGNE — UTILIZING  INCIDENTS — SUBTERRANEAN  TERRORS — A  PANIC  —  EGYP 
TIAN  DARKNESS  IN  EGYPTIAN  HALL — WILLIAM  M.  THACKERAY" — HIS  TWO 
VISITS  TO  AMERICA — FRIENDLY  RELATIONS  WITH  THE  NOVELIST — I  LOSE 
HIS  SYMPATHY — HIS  WARM  REGARD  FOR  HIS  AMERICAN  FRIENDS — OTTO 
GOLDSCHMIDT  AND  JENNY  LIND  GOLDSCIIMIDT — TENDER  OF  THEIR  AID — 

THE    FORGED    LIND    LETTER BENEDICT  AND   BELLETTI — GEORGE  AUGUSTUS 

SALA — CHARLES    KEAN EDMUND    YATES — HORACE     MAY1IKW GEORGE    PEA- 

V.ODY — MR.  ''BUCKSTONE — MY    EXHIBITIONS    IN    ENGLAND — S.  M.   PETTINGILL 

—MR.  LU3JLEY,  •  ;."'.j/*;.     ; '(/; r '•'***;  '\H-~{' '*/•'.'    .     .     .     .     .     .     .     419 


20  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  XXIX.— IN  GERMANY. 


FROM    LONDON   TO    BADEN-BADEN — TROUBLE    IN    PARIS — STRASBOURG — 8CENW 
IN   A    GERMAN    CUSTOM-HOUSE — A    TERRIBLE    BILL — SIX    CENTS   WORTH    OF 

AGONY GAMBLING      AT      BADEN-BADEN SUICIDES GOLDEN       PRICES      FOR 

THE    GENERAL A    CALL   FROM    THE    KING  OF    HOLLAND THE    GERMAN    SPAS 

HAMBURG,     EMS      AND    WETSBADEN — THE      BLACK      FOREST      ORCHESTRION 

MAKER AN  OFFERED  SACRIFICE THE  SEAT  OF  THE  ROTHSCHILDS — DIF 
FICULTIES  IN  FRANKFORT A  POMPOUS  COMMISSIONER  OF  POLICE RED- 
TAPE AN  ALARM HENRY  J.  RAYMOND CALL  ON  THE  COMMISSIONER 

CONFIDENTIAL  DISCLOSURES HALF  OF  AN  ENTIRE  FORTUNE  IN  AN  AMERI 
CAN  RAILWAY ASTOUNDING  REVELATIONS — DOWN  THE  RHINE DEPARTURE 

FOR   HOLLAND, 430 


CHAP.  XXX.— IN  HOLLAND. 


THE    FINEST   AND   FLATTEST    COUNTRY  IN  THE  WORLD SUPER-CLEANLINESS — 

HABITS    AND    CUSTOMS "  KREMIS  " THE    ALBINO     FAMILY THE     HAGUE 

AUGUST  BELMONT — JAPANESE  MUSEUM — MANUFACTURED  FABULOUS  ANI 
MALS A  GENEROUS  OFFER VALUABLE  PICTURES AN  ASTONISHED  SUPER 
INTENDENT — BACK  TO  ENGLAND EXHIBITIONS  IN  MANCHESTER 1  RETURN 

AGAIN    TO    AMERICA — FUN    ON    THE    VOYAGE MOCK    TRIALS BARNUM    AS    A 

PROSECUTOR  AND  AS  A  PRISONER — COLD  SHOULDERS  IN  NEW  YORK — PRE 
PARING  TO  MOVE  INTO  MY  OLD  HOME CARELESS  PAINTERS  AND  CARPEN 
TERS — IRANISTAN  BURNED  TO  THE  GROUND — NEXT  TO  NO  INSURANCE — 
SALE  OF  THE  PROPERTY — ELI  AS  HOWE,  JR., 441 

CHAP.  XXXI.— THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 


BACK  OXCE  MORE  TO  ENGLAND— TOUR  THROUGH  SCOTLAND  AND  WALES- 
HOW  I  CAME  TO  LECTURE— ADVICE  OF  MY  FRIENDS— MY  LECTURE— HOW 
TO  MAKE  MONEY  AND  HOW  TO  KEEP  IT— WHAT  THE  PAPERS  SAID  ABOUT 
ME PRAISE  OF  THE  LONDON  PRESS— LECTURING  IN  THE  PROVINCES- 
PERFORMANCES  AT  CAMBRIDGE— CALL  FOR  JOICE  HETH— EXTRAORDINARY 
FUN  AT  OXFORD— THE  AUDIENCE  AND  LECTURER  TAKING  TURNS— A  UNI 
VERSITY  BREAKFAST— MAGNIFICENT  OFFER  FOR  A  COPYRIGHT— SUCCESS 
OF  MY  ENTERPRISE— MORE  MONEY  FOrt  THE  CLOCK  CREDITORS,  .  .  456 


CHAP.  XXXIL— AN  ENTERPRISING  ENGLISHMAN. 


AN  ENGLISH  YANKEE — MY  FIRST  INTERVIEW  WITH  HIM — HIS  PLANS  BASED 
ON  BARNUM'S  BOOK — ADVERTISING  FOR  PARTNERS — HOW  MY  RULES  MA.DE 
HIM  RICH — METHOD  IN  MADNESS — THE  "BARNUM"  OF  BURY — DINNER  TO 

TOM  THUMB  AND  COMMODORE  N  UTT MY  AGENT  IN  PARIS — MEASURING  A 

MONSTER HO\V  GIANTS   AND  DWARFS  STRETCH  AND  CONTRACT AN  UN 
WILLING  FRENCHMAN — A  PERSISTENT  MEASURER — A  GIGANTIC  HUMBUG 

THE  STEAM  ENGINES  "BARNUM"  AND  "CHARITY" WHAT  "CHARITY"  DID 

FOR  "BARNUM" — SELLING   THE    SAME   GOODS   A   THOUSAND   TIMES — THE 
GREAT  CAKES — SIMNAL  SUNDAY — THE  SANITARY  COMMISSION  FAIR,       506 


CONTENTS.  21 

CHAP.  XXXIII.— RICHARD'S  HIMSELF  AGAIN. 


AT   HOME — EXTINGUISHMENT   OP   THE    CLOCK    DEBTS— A   RASCALLY    PROPOSI- 

TION BARNUM    ON    HIS     FEET    AGAIN — RE-PURCHASE    OF    THE     MUSEUM — 

A  GALA  DAY— MY  RECEPTION  BY  MY  FRIENDS— THE  STORY  OF  MY 
TROUBLES— HOW  I  WADED  ASHORE — PROMISES  TO  THE  PUBLIC — THE  PUB- 

LIC    RESPONSE — MUSEUM    VISITORS THE     RECEIPTS    DOUBLED— HOW    THE 

PRESS     RECEIVED     THE     NEWS     OF     RESTORATION THE     SYCOPHANTS — OLD 

AND  FAST  FRIENDS — ROBERT  BONNER — CONSIDERATION  AND  COURTESY  OF 
CREDITORS — THE  BOSTON  SATURDAY  EVENING  GAZETTE  AGAIN — ANOTHER 
WORD  FOR  BARNUM,  .  .^ '  •  VJ ^  '"^^  _  ^^i  ^  '^  f''T>,  '  '  *  516 

CHAP.  XXXIV.— MENAGERIE  AND  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA. 

A  REMARKABLE  CHARACTER — OLD  GRIZZLY  ADAMS — THE  CALIFORNIA  MENAGE 
RIE — TERRIBLY  WOUNDED  BY  BEARS — MY  UP-TOWN  SHOW — EXTRAORDI 
NARY  WILL  AND  VIGOR — A  LESSON  FOR  MUNCHAUSEN — THE  CALIFORNIA 
GOLDEN  PIGEONS — PIGEONS  OF  ALL  COLORS — PROCESS  OF  THEIR  CREATION 

— M.      GUILLADEU A  NATURALIST  DECEIVED THE  MOST  WONDERFUL  BIRDS 

IN    THE  WORLD — THE  CURIOSITIES  TRANSFERRED  TO  THE    MENAGERIE — OLD 

ADAMS    TAKEN    IN — A    CHANGE    OF    COLOR MOTLEY    THE    ONLY    WEAR— OLD 

GRIZZLY  UNDECEIVED — TOUR  OF  THE  BEAR-TAMER  THROUGH  THE  COUNTRY 
— A  BEAUTIFUL  HUNTING  SUIT— A  LIFE  AND  DEATH  STRUGGLE  FOR  A 

WAGER — OLD   ADAMS    WINS HIS    DEATH THE    LAST    JOKE    ON     BARNUM 

THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES   VISITS   THE    MUSEUM — I    CALL   ON   THE    PRINCE    IN 

BOSTON — STEPHEN  A.  DOUGLAS "BEFORE  AND  AFTER"    IN  A  BARBER  SHOP 

— HOW  TOM  HIGGINSON  "DID"  BARNUM — THE  MUSEUM  FLOURISHING,       529 

CHAP.  XXXV.— EAST  BRIDGEPORT. 


ANOTHER     NEW     HOME— LINDENCROFT — PROGRESS     OF     MY     PET     CITY — THE 
CHESTNUT  WOOD  FIRE — HOW  IT   BECAME    OLD    HICKORY — INDUCEMENTS    TO 

SETTLERS MY     OFFER — EVERY     MAN     HIS     OWN     HOUSE-OWNER — WHISKY 

AND  TOBACCO — RISE  IN  REAL-ESTATE — PEMBROKE  LAKE — WASHINGTON 
PARK— GREAT  MANUFACTORIES — WHEELER  AND  WILSON — SCHUYLER,  HART 
LEY  AND  GRAHAM — HOTCHKISS,  SON  AND  COMPANY — STREET  NAMES — 
MANY  THOUSAND  SHADE  TREES — BUSINESS  IN  THE  NEW  CITY — UNPARAL 
LELED  GROWTH  AND  PROSPERITY — PROBABILITIES  IN  THE  FUTURE — SITUA 
TION  OF  BRIDGEPORT — ITS  ADVANTAGES  AND  PROSPECTS — THE  SECOND,  IF 
NOT  THE  FOREMOST  CITY  IN  CONNECTICUT,  .  .'^  Y"  ,  ,  549 


CHAP.  XXXVI.— MORE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM. 

ANOTHER  RE-OPENING — A  CHERRY-COLORED  CAT — THE  CAT  LET  OUT  OF  THE 
BAG — MY  FIRST  WHALING  EXPEDITION — PLANS  FOR  CAPTURE— SUCCESS 
OF  THE  SCHEME— TRANSPORTING  LIVING  WHALES  BY  LAND— PUBLIC  EX 
CITEMENT — THE  GREAT  TANK — SALT  WATER  PUMPED  FROM  THE  BAY  TO 

THE     MUSEUM — MORE     WHALES— EXPEDITION     TO     LABRADOR THE     FIRST 

HIPPOPOTAMUS    IN   AMERICA TROPICAL   FISH — COMMODORE    NUTT  AND    HIS 

FIRST  "ENGAGEMENT" — THE  TWO  DROMIOS — PRESIDENT  LINCOLN  SEES 
COMMODORE  NUTT — WADING  ASHORE — A  QUESTION  OF  LEGS — SELF-DECEP 
TION — THE  GOLDEH  ANGEL  FISH — ANNA  SWAN,  THE  NOVA  SCOTIA  GIANT 
ESS — THE  TALLEST  WOMAN  IN  THE  WORLD — INDIAN  CHIEFS — EXPEDITION 
TO  CYPRUS — MY  AGENT  IN  A  PASHA'S  HAREM, 56Q 


22  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  XXXVIL— MR.  AND  MRS.  GENERAL  TOM  THUMB. 

MISS    LAVINIA   WARREN — A   CHARMING    LITTLE    LADY — SUPPOSED   TO   BE    THE 
$30,000   NUTT    IN   DISGUISE — HER   WARDROBE   AND   PRESENTS STORY   OF   A 

RING — THE  LITTLE  COMMODORE  IN  LOVE — TOM  THUMB  SMITTEN — RIVALRY 

OF  THE  DWARFS — JEALOUSY  OF  THE  GENERAL — VISIT  AT  BRIDGEPORT 

THE  GENERAL'S  STYLISH  TURN-OUT — MISS  WARREN  IMPRESSED— CALL  OF 
THE  GENERAL— A  LILLIPUTIAN  LOVE  SCENE — TOM  THUMB'S  INVENTORY  OF 
HIS  PROPERTY — HE  PROPOSES  AND  IS  ACCEPTED — ARRIVAL  OF  THE  COM 
MODORE — HIS  GRIEF — EXCITEMENT  OVER  THE  ENGAGEMENT — THE  WED 
DING  IN  GRACE  CHURCH— REVEREND  JUNIUS  WILLEY— A  SPICY  LETTER 
BY  POCTOR  TAYLOR — GRAND  RECEPTION  OF  MR.  AND  MRS.  STRATTON — 
THE  COMMODORE  IN  SEARCH  OF  A  GREEN  COUNTRY  GIRL,  ....  582 

CHAP.  XXXVIII.— POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL. 


MY   POLITICAL   PRINCIPLES — REASONS   FOR   MY    CHANGE   OF  PARTIES — KANSAS 

AND   SECESSION — WIDE-AWAKES GRAND  ILLUMINATION  OF  UNDENCROFT — 

JOKE  ON  A  DEMOCRATIC  NEIGHBOR — PEACE  MEETINGS THE  STEPNEY  EX 
CITEMENT — TEARING  DOWN  A  PEACE  FLAG A  LOYAL  MEETING — RECEP 
TION  IN  BRIDGEPORT DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  "  FARMER  "  OFFICE ELTAS 

HOWE,  JR. — SAINT  PETER  AND  SALTPETRE — DRAFT  RIOTS — BURGLARS  AT 
LINDENCROFT — MY  ELECTION  TO  THE  LEGISLATURE — BEGINNING  OF  MY 
WAR  ON  RAILROAD  MONOPOLIES — WIRE-PULLING — THE  XIV.  AMENDMENT 
TO  THE  UNITED  STATES  CONSTITUTION — STRIKING  THE  WORD  "  WHITE " 
FROM  THE  CONNECTICUT  CONSTITUTION — MY  SPEECH,  ......  609 

CHAP.  XXXIX.— THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  IN  RUINS. 

A  TERRIBLE  LOSS — HOW  I  RECEIVED  THE  NEWS — BURNING  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
MUSEUM — DETAILS  OF  THE  DISASTER — FAITH  IN  HERRING'S  SAFES — BAKED 
AND  BOILED  WHALES — THE  NEW  YORK  TRIBUNE  ON  THE  DESTRUCTION  OF 
THE  MUSEUM — A  PUBLIC  CALAMITY — SYMPATHY  OF  THE  LEADING  EDITORS 
— AMOUNT  OF  MY  LOSS — SMALL  INSURANCE — MY  PROPERTY — INTENTION  TO 
RETIRE  TO  PRIVATE  LIFE — HORACE  GREELEY  ADVISES  ME  TO  GO  A-FISHING 
— BENEFIT  TO  THE  MUSEUM  EMPLOYEES  AT  THE  ACADEMY  OF  MUSIC — MY 
SPEECH — WHAT  THE  NEW  YORK  SUN  SAID  ABOUT  IT — THE  NEW  UP-TOWN 
MUSEUM OPENING  THE  ESTABLISHMENT  TO  THE  PUBLIC,  ....  638 

CHAP.  XL.— MY  WAR  ON  THE  RAILROADS. 

SCENES  IN  THE  LEGISLATURE — SHARP-SHOOTING—PROPOSITIONS  FOR  A  NEW 
CAPITAL  OF  CONNECTICUT— THE  RIVALRY  OF  CITIES— CULMINATION  OF 
THE  RAILROAD  CONTROVERSY — EXCITEMENT  AMONG  THE  LOBBYISTS — A 
BILL  FOR  THE  BENEFIT  OF  COMMUTERS — PEOPLE  PROTECTED  FROM  THE 
PLUNDERERS — HOW  SETTLERS  ARE  DRAWN  INTO  A  STATE  AND  THEN 
CHEATED  BY  THE  RAILROAD  COMPANIES— EQUAL  RIGHTS  FOR  COMMUTERS 

AND  TRANSIENT    PASSENGERS— WHAT   COMMODORE  VANDERBILT    DID WHAT 

THE  NEW  YORK  AND  NEW  HAVEN  RAILROAD  COMPANY  WANTED  TO  DO- 
EXPOSURE  OF  THEIR  PLOT— CONSTERNATION  OF  THE  CONSPIRATORS— MY 
VICTORY— AGAIN  ELECTED  TO  THE  LEGISLATURE— UNITED  STATES  SENATOR 
FERRY — EX-GOVERNOR  W.  A.  BUCKINGHAM— THEODORE  TILTON— GOVERNOR 
HAWLEY— FRIENDS  AT  LINDENCROFT— NOMINATED  FOR  CONGRESS  AND 
DEFEATED, ,•.,'.',/ V  ,V  '.  V  V;  :*•  t , °49 


CONTENTS. 
CHAP.  XLI.— BENNETT  AND  THE  HERALD. 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  LEASE — ITS  VALUE — BENNETT  OF  THE  HERALD  BUYS 
IT  FOR  $200,000 — HE  PURCHASES  THE  PROPERTY — OVERESTIMATE  OF  ITS 
WORTH — MAX  MARETZEK — MISS  CLARA  LOUISE  KELLOGG'S  ESTIMATE  OF 

CERTAIN   PEOPLE THE    POWER    BEHIND    THE    HERALD   THRONE — THE    HER- 

ALD'S  INFI/UENCK  —  AND  HARD  EXPERIENCE  —  HIS  LAWYER  INSISTS 
UPON  MY  TAKING  BACK  THE  MUSEUM  LEASE — I  DECLINE — BENNETT  RE 
FUSES  MY  ADVERTISEMENTS — INTERVIEW  WITH  MR.  HUDSON — WAR  OF  THE 
MANAGERS  UPON  THE  HERALD — BENNETT  HUMBLED — LOSS  OF  THE  HERALL>'s 
PRESTIGE — MONEY  DAMAGE  TO  BENNETT'S  ESTABLISHMENT — THE  EDITOR 
SUED— PEACE  BETWEEN  THE  HERALD  AND  THE  MANAGERS,  ....  665 


CHAP.  XLIL— PUBLIC  LECTURING. 


MY  TOUR  AT  THE  WEST  —  THE  CURIOSITY  EXHIBITOR  HIMSELF  A  CURIOSITY  — 
BUYING  A  FARM  IN  WISCONSIN  —  HELPING  THOSE  WHO  HELP  THEMSELVES 
—  A  RIDE  ON  A  LOCOMOTIVE  —  PUNCTUALITY  IN  MY  ENGAGEMENTS  —  TRICKS 
TO  SECURE  SEATS  IN  THE  LADIES'  CAR  —  I  SUDDENLY  BECAME  FATHER  TO 
A  YOUNG  MARRIED  COUPLE  -  MY  IDENTITY  DENIED  —  PITY  AND  CHARITY  — 
REVEREND  DOCTOR  CHAPIN  PULLS  THE  BELL—  TEMPERANCE  —  HOW  I  BECAME 
A  TEETOTALER  -  MODERATE  DRINKING  AND  ITS  DANGERS  —  DOCTOR  CHA- 
PIN'S  LECTURE  IN  BRIDGEPORT—  MY  OWN  EFFORTS  IN  THE  TEMPERANCE 
CAUSE—  LECTURING  THROUGHOUT  THE  COUNTRY  —  NEWSPAPER  ARTICLES  —  • 
THE  STORY  OF  VINELAND,  IN  NEW  JERSEY,  .........  ^?6 

CHAP.  XLIII.—  THE  NEW  MUSEUM. 


.„--;;,»  —  TflvTSiVlpTf;    V.  I  -  .  . 

A  GIGANTIC  AMUSEMENT  COMPANY  —  IMMENSE  ADDITIONS  TO  THE  NEW  COL 
LECTION  —  CURIOSITIES  FROM  EVERYWHERE  —  THE  GORDON  CUMMINGS*  COL 
LECTION  FROM  AFRICA  -  THE  GORILLA  —  WHAT  THE  PAPERS  SAID  ABOUT 
THE  MONSTER  —  MY  PRIVATE  VIEW  OF  THE  ANIMAL  —  AMUSING-  INTERVIEW 
WITH  PAUL  DU  CHAILLU  —  A  SUPERB  MENAGERIE  -  THE  NEW  THEATRE  - 
PROJECT  FOR  A  FREE  NATIONAL  INSTITUTION  —  MESSRS.  E.  D.  MORGAN, 
WILLIAM  C.  BRYANT,  HORACE  GREELEY  AND  OTHERS  FAVOR  MY  PLAN  - 
PRESIDENT  JOHNSON  INDORSES  IT  -  DESTRUCTION  OF  MY  SECOND  MUSEUM 
BY  FIRE  —  THE  ICE-CLAD  RUINS  —  A  SAD,  YET  SPLENDID  SPECTACLE  —  OUT 
OF  THE  BUSINESS  —  FOOT  RACES  AT  THE  WHITE  MOUNTAINS  —  HOW  I  WAS 
NOT  BEATEN  —  OPENING  OF  WOOD'S  MUSEUM  IN  NEW  YORK  —  MY  ONLY 
INTEREST  IN  THE  ENTERPRISE,  ..............  692 

CHAP,  XLIV.—  CURIOUS   COINCIDENCES.—  NUMBER  THIRTEEN. 

POPULAR  SUPERSTITIONS—  UNLUCKY  FRIDAY—  UNFORTUNATE  SATURDAY- 
RAINY  SUNDAYS—  TERRIBLE  THIRTEEN—  THE  BRETTELLS  OF  LONDON—  IN 
CIDENTS  OF  MY  WESTERN  TRIP—  SINGULAR  FATALITY—  NUMBER  THIRTEEN 
IN  EVERY  HOTEL  -  NO  ESCAPE  FROM  THE  FRIGHTFUL  FIGURE  —  ADVICE  OF 
A  CLERICAL  FRIEND—  THE  THIRTEEN  COLONIES  —  THE  THIRTEENTH  CHAP 
TER  OF  CORINTHIANS—  THIRTEEN  AT  MY  CHRISTMAS  DINNER  PARTY—  THIR- 
TEBN  DOLLARS  AT  A  FAIR—  TWO  DISASTROUS  DAYS—  THE  THIRTEENTH 
DAY  IN  TWO  MONTHS—  THIRTEEN  PAGES  OF  MANUSCRIPT,  ...  70S 


24 


CONTENTS. 
CHAP.  XLV.— A  STORY  CHAPTER. 


"EVERY  MAN  TO  HIS  VOCATION"  AND  "NATURE  WILL  ASSERT  HERSELF" — 

REST    BY    THE    WAYSIDE— A   HALF-SHAVED    PARTY — CONSTERNATION    OF   A 

CLERGYMAN — NATIVES  IN  NEW  YORK — DOCTORING  A  CORN-DOCTOR — RELI 
GIOUS  RAILWAYS — THE  BRIGHTON  BUGLE  BUSINESS — CASH  AND  CONSCIENCE 
— CASTLES  IN  THE  AIR — A  DELUDED  ANTIQUARIAN — GAMBLING  AND  POLI 
TICS — IRISH  WIT — ABOUT  CONDUCTORS — DR.  CHAPIN  AS  A  PUNSTER — FOWL 
ATTEMPTS — A  PAIR  o'  DUCKS — CUTTING  A  SICK  FRIEND — REV.  RICHARD 
VARICK  DEY — HIS  CRIME  AND  ITS  CONSEQUENCES — FOREORDINATION — 
PRACTICAL  JOKING  BY  MY  FATHFR — A  VALUABLE  RACE-HORSE — HOW  HE 
WAS  LET  AND  THEN  KILLED— AGONY  OF  THE  HORSE-KILLER — THE  FINAL 
"SELL" — FOREIGN  AND  DOMESTIC  FRENCH — COCKNEYISM — WICKED  WORDS 

IN   EXETER   HALL, 718 

CHAP.  XLVL— SEA-SIDE  PARK. 


INTEREST  IN  PUBLIC  IMPROVEMENTS — OLD  PARK  PROJECTS — OPPOSITION  OF 
OLD  FOGIES — THE  SOUND  SHORE  AT  BRIDGEPORT — INACCESSIBLE  PROP 
ERTY — THE  EYE  OF  FAITH — TALKING  TO  THE  FARMERS — REACHING  THE 
PUBLIC  THROUGH  THE  PAPERS — HOW  THE  LAND  WAS  SECURED  FOR  A 

GREAT   PLEASURE-GROUND GIFTS    TO   THE   PEOPLE OPENING   OF   SEA-SIDE 

PARK — THE  MOST  BEAUTIFUL  GROUND  BETWEEN  NEW  YORK  AND  BOSTON 
— MAGNIFICENT  DRIVES — THE  ADVANTAGES  OF  THE  LOCATION — MUSIC  FOR 
THE  MILLION— BY  THE  SEA-SIDE — FUTURE  OF  THE  PARK— A  PERPETUAL 
BLESSING  TO  POSTERITY, 758 

CHAP.  XLVIL— WALDEMERE. 

MY  PRIVATE  LIFE — PLANS  FOR  THE  PUBLIC  BENEFIT  IN  BRIDGEPORT— OPEN 
ING  AVENUES — PLANTING  SHADE-TREES — OLD  FOGIES — CONSERVATISM  A 
CURSE  TO  CITIES — BENEFITING  BARNUM's  PROPERTY — SALE  OF  LINDEN- 
CROFT—LIVING  IN  A  FARM-HOUSE—BY  THE  SEA-SHORE— ANOTHER  NEW 
HOME — WALDEMERE — HOW  IT  CAME  TO  BE  BUILT — MAGIC  AND  MONEY— 
WAVEWOOD  AND  THE  PETREL'S  NEST — MY  FARM — THE  HOLLAND  BLANKET 
CATTLE — MY  CITY  RESIDENCE — COMFORTS  OF  CITY  LIFE  — BEGGING  LET 
TERS — MY  FAMILY — RELIGIOUS  REFLECTIONS — MY  FIFTY-NINTH  BIRTHDAY 
—THE  END  OF  THE  RECORD. 768 


CHAPTER    L 


EARLY   LIFE. 

MY  BIRTH  —  FIRST  PROPERTY  —  FARMER-BOY  LIFE  —  GOING  TO-  SCHOOL  —  EARLY 
ACQUISITIVENESS — A  HOLIDAY  PEDDLER — FIRST  VISIT  TO  NEW  YORK — LEARN 
ING  TO  "  SWAP  "—  MISERIES  FROM  MOLASSES  CANDY  —  "  IVY  ISLAND"  — 
ENTERING  UPON  MY  ESTATE  —  CLERKSHIP  IN  A  COUNTRY  STORE  —  TRADING 
ar ORALS  —  THE  BETHEL  MEETING-HOUSE  —  STOVE  QUESTION  —  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 
AND  BIBLE  CLASS— MY  COMPOSITION  —  THE  ONE  THING  NEEDFUL. 


I  WAS  born  in  the  town  of  Bethel,  in  the  State  of 
Connecticut,  July  5,  1810.  My  name,  Phineas  Taylor, 
is  derived  from  my  maternal  grandfather,  who  was  a 
great  wag  in  his  way,  and  who,  as  I  was  his  first  grand 
child,  gravely  handed  over  to  my  mother  at  my  christen 
ing  a  gift-deed,  in  my  behalf,  of  five  acres  of  land 
situated  in  that  part  of  the  parish  of  Bethel  known  as 
the  "  Plum  Trees."  I  was  thus  a  real  estate  owner 
almost  at  my  very  birth ;  and  of  my  property,  "  Ivy 
Island,"  something  shall  be  said  anon. 

My  father,  Philo  Barnum,  was  the  son  of  Ephraim 
Barnum,  of  Bethel,  who  was  a  captain  in  the  revolu 
tionary  war.  My  father  was  a  tailor,  a  farmer,  and 
sometimes  a  tavern-keeper,  and  my  advantages  and  dis 
advantages  were  such  as  fall  to  the  general  run  of 
farmers'  boys.  I  drove  cows  to  and  from  the  pasture, 
shelled  corn,  weeded  the  garden ;  as  I  grew  larger,  I 
rode  horse  for  ploughing,  turned  and  raked  hay ;  in  due 
tune  I  handled  the  shovel  and  the  hoe,  and  when  I 
could  do  so  I  went  to  school. 


26  EARLY  LIFE. 

I  was  six  years  old  when  I  began  to  go  to  school,  and 
the  first  date  I  remember  inscribing  upon  my  writing- 
book  was  1818.  The  ferule,  in  those  days,  was  the 
assistant  school-master;  but  in  spite  of  it,  I  was  a 
willing,  and,  I  think,  a  pretty  apt  scholar ;  at  least,  I 
was  so  considered  by  my  teachers  and  schoolmates,  and 
as  the  years  went  on  there  were  never  more  than  two 
or  three  in  the  school  who  were  deemed  my  superiors. 
In  arithmetic  I  was  unusually  ready  and  accurate,  and  I 
remember,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  being  called  out 
of  bed  one  night  by  my  teacher  who  had  wagered  with 
a  neighbor  that  I  could  calculate  the  correct  number  of 
feet  in  a  load  of  wood  in  five  minutes.  The  dimensions 
given,  I  figured  out  the  result  in  less  than  two  minutes, 
to  the  great  delight  of  my  teacher  and  to  the  equal 
astonishment  of  his  neighbor. 

My  organ  of  "  acquisitiveness "  was  manifest  at  an 
early  age.  Before  I  was  five  years  of  age,  I  began  to 
accumulate  pennies  and  •"  four-pences,"  and  when  I  was 
six  years  old  my  capital  amounted  to  a  sum  sufficient  to 
exchange  for  a  silver  dollar,  the  possession  of  which 
made  me  feel  far  richer  and  more  independent  than  I 
have  ever  since  felt  in  the  world. 

Nor  did  my  dollar  long  remain  alone.  As  I  grew 
older  I  earned  ten  cents  a  day  for  riding  the  horse 
which  led  the  ox  team  in  ploughing,  and  on  holidays 
and  "  training  days,"  instead  of  spending  money,  I 
earned  it.  I  was  a  small  peddler  of  molasses  candy  (of 
home  make),  ginger-bread,  cookies  and  cherry 'rum, -and 
I  generally  found  myself  a  dollar  or  two  richer  at  the 
end  of  a  holiday  than  I  was  at  the  beginning.  I  was 
always  ready  for  a  trade,  and  by  the  time  I  was  twelve 
years  old,  besides  other  property,  I  was  the  owner  of 


EARLY  LIFE.  27 

a  sheep  and  a  calf,  and  should  soon,  no  doubt,  have 
become  a  small  Croesus,  had  not  my  father  kindly 
permitted  me  to  purchase  my  own  clothing,  which 
somewhat  reduced  my  little  store. 

When  I  was  nearly  twelve  years  old  I  made  my  first 
visit  to  the  metropolis.  It  happened  in  this  wise  :  Late 
one  afternoon  in  January,  1822,  Mr.  Daniel  Brown,  of 
Southbury,  Connecticut,  arrived  at  my  father's  tavern, 
in  Bethel,  with  some  fat  cattle  he  was  driving  to  New 
York  to  sell.  The  cattle  were  put  into  our  large  barn 
yard,  the  horses  were  stabled,  and  Mr.  Brown  and  his 
assistant  were  provided  with  a  warm  supper  and  lodging 
for  the  night.  After  supper  I  heard  Mr.  Brown  say  to 
my  father  that  he  intended  to  buy  more  cattle ,  and  that 
he  would  be  glad  to  hire  a  boy  to  assist  in  driving  the 
cattle.  I  immediately  besought  my  father  to  secure  the 
situation  for  me,  and  he  did  so.  My  mother's  consent 
was  also  gained,  and  at  daylight  next  morning,  after  a 
slight  breakfast,  I  started  on  foot  in  the  midst  of  a 
heavy  snow  storm  to  help  drive  the  cattle.  Before 
reaching  Ridgefield,  I  was  sent  on  horseback  after  a 
stray  ox,  and,  in  galloping,  the  horse  fell  and  my  ankle 
was  sprained.  I  suffered  severely,  but  did  not  com 
plain  lest  my  employer  should  send  me  back.  But  he 
considerately  permitted  me  to  ride  behind  him  on  his 
horse ;  and,  indeed,  did  so  most  of  the  way  to  New 
York,  where  we  arrived  in  three  or  four  days. 

We  put  up  at  the  Bull's  Head  Tavern,  where  we  were 
to  stay  a  week  while  the  drover  was  disposing  of  his  cat 
tle,  and  we  were  then  to  return  home  in  a  sleigh.  It 
was  an  eventful  week  for  me.  Before  I  left  home  my 
mother  had  given  me  a  dollar  which  I  supposed  would 
supply  every  want  that  heart  could  wish.  My  first  out- 


28  EABLY  LIFE. 

lay  was  for  oranges  which  I  was  told  were  four  pence 
apiece,  and  as  "four-pence"  in  Connecticut  was  six 
cents,  I  offered  ten  cents  for  two  oranges  which  was  of 
course  readily  taken ;  and  thus,  instead  of  saving  two 
cents,  as  I  thought,  I  actually  paid  two  cents  more  than 
the  price  demanded.  I  then  bought  two  more  oranges, 
reducing  my  capital  to  eighty  cents.  Thirty-one  cents 
was  the  "  charge "  for  a  small  gun  which  would  "  go 
off"  and  send  a  stick  some  little  distance,  and  this  gun 
I  bought.  Amusing  myself  with  this  toy  in  the  bar 
room  of  the  Bull's  Head,  the  arrow  happened  to  hit  the 
barkeeper,  who  forthwith  came  from  behind  the  counter 
and  shook  me  and  soundly  boxed  my  ears,  telling  me  to 
put  that  gun  out  of  the  way  or  he  would  put  it  into  the 
fire.  I  sneaked  to  my  room,  put  my  treasure  under 
the  pillow,  and  went  out  for  another  visit  to  the  toy 
shop. 

There  I  invested  six  cents  in  "  torpedoes,"  with 
which  I  intended  to  astonish  my  schoolmates  in  Bethel. 
I  could  not  refrain,  however,  from  experimenting  upon 
the  guests  of  the  hotel,  which  I  did  when  they  were 
going  in  to  dinner.  I  threw  two  of  the  torpedoes 
against  the  wall  of  the  hall  through  which  the  guests 
were  passing,  and  the  immediate  results  were  as  fol 
lows:  two  loud  reports,  —  astonished  guests,  —  irate 
landlord,  —  discovery  of  the  culprit,  and  summary  pun 
ishment —  for  the  landlord  immediately  floored  me  with 
a  single  blow  with  his  open  hand,  and  said : 

"  There,  you  little  greenhorn,  see  if  that  will  teach 
you  better  than  to  explode  your  infernal  fire  crackers  in 
my  house  again."  '  ^ 

The  lesson  was  sufficient  if  not  entirely  satisfactory. 
I  deposited  the  balance  of  the  torpedoes  with  my  gun, 


EARLY   LIFE.  29 

and  as  a  solace  for  my  wounded  feelings  I  again  visited 
the  toy  shop,  where  I  bought  a  watch,  breastpin  and 
top,  leaving  but  eleven  cents  of  my  original  dollar. 

The  following  morning  found  me  again  at  the  fasci 
nating  toy  shop,  where  I  saw  a  beautiful  knife  with  two 
blades,  a  gimlet,  and  a  corkscrew,  —  a  whole  carpenter 
shop  in  miniature,  and  all  for  thirty-one  cents.  But, 
alas  !  I  had  only  eleven  cents.  Have  that  knife  I  must, 
however,  and  so  I  proposed  to  the  shop  woman  to  take 
back  the  top  and  breastpin  at  a  slight  deduction,  and 
with  my  eleven  cents  to  let  me  have  the  knife.  The 
kind  creature  consented,  and  this  makes  memorable  my 
first  "swap."  Some  fine  and  nearly  white  molasses 
candy  then  caught  my  eye,  and  I  proposed  to  trade  the 
watch  for  its  equivalent  in  candy.  The  transaction 
was  made  and  the  candy  was  so  delicious  that  before 
night  my  gun  was  absorbed  in  the  same  way.  The  next 
morning  the  torpedoes  "  went  off"  in  the  same  direc 
tion,  and  before  night  even  my  beloved  knife  was  simi 
larly  exchanged.  My  money  and  my  goods  all  gone  I 
traded  two  pocket  handkerchiefs  and  an  extra  pair  of 
stockings  I  was  sure  I  should  not  want  for  nine  more 
rolls  of  molasses  candy,  and  then  wandered  about  the 
city  disconsolate,  sighing  because  there  was  no  more 
molasses  candy  to  conquer. 

I  doubt  not  that  in  these  first  wanderings  about  the 
city  I  often  passed  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Ann 
Street  —  never  dreaming  of  the  stir  I  was  destined  at  a 
future  day  to  make  in  that  locality  as  proprietor  and 
manager  of  the  American  Museum. 

After  wandering,  gazing  and  wondering,  for  a  week, 
Mr.  Brown  took  me  in  his  sleigh  and  on  the  evening  of 
the  following  day  we  arrived  in  Bethel.  I  had  a 


30  EARLY  LIFE. 

thousand  questions  to  answer,  and  then  and  for  a  long 
time  afterwards  I  was  quite  a  lion  among  my  mates 
because  I  had  seen  the  great  metropolis.  My  brothers 
and  sisters,  however,  were  much  disappointed  at  my 
not  bringing  them  something  from  my  dollar,  and  when 
my  mother  examined  my  wardrobe  .and  found  two 
pocket  handkerchiefs  and  one  pair  of  stockings  missing 
she  whipped  me  and  sent  me  to  bed.  Thus  inglori- 
ously  terminated  mj  first  visit  to  New  York. 

Previous  to  my  visit  to  New  York,  I  think  it  was  in 
18*20,  when  I  was  ten  years  of  age,  I  made  my  first 
expedition  to  my  landed  property,  "  Ivy  Island."  This, 
it  will  be  remembered,  was  the  gift  of  my  grandfather, 
from  whom  I  derived  my  name.  From  the  time  when  I 
was  four  years  old  I  was  continually  hearing  of  this 
"  property."  My  grandfather  always  spoke  of  me  (in 
my  presence)  to  the  neighbors  and  to  strangers  as 
the  richest  child  in  town,  since  I  owned  the  whole  of 
"  Ivy  Island,"  one  of  the  most  valuable  farms  in  the 
State.  My  father  and  mother  frequently  reminded 
me  of  my  wealth  and  hoped  I  would  do  something  for 
the  family  when  I  attained  my  majority.  The  neigh 
bors  professed  to  fear  that  I  might  refuse  to  play 
with  their  children  because  I  had  inherited  so  large 
a  property. 

These  constant  allusions,  for  several  years,  to  "Ivy 
Island"  excited  at  once  my  pride  and  my  curiosity 
and  stimulated  me  to  implore  my  father's  permission 
to  visit  my  property.  At  last,  he  promised  I  should 
do  so  in  a  few  days,  as  we  should  be  getting 
some  hay  near  "  Ivy  Island."  The  wished  for  day  at 
length  arrived  and  my  father  told  me  that  as  we 
were  to  mow  an  adjoining  meadow,  I  might  visit  my 


EARLY  LIFE.  »  31 

property  in  company  with  the  hired  man  during  the 
"  nooning."  My  grandfather  reminded  me  that  it  was 
to  his  bounty  I  was  indebted  for  this  wealth,  and 
that  had  not  my  name  been  Phineas  I  might  never  have 
been  proprietor  of  "  Ivy  Island."  To  this  my  mother 
added  : 

"  Now,  Taylor,  do  n't  become  so  excited  when  you  see 
your  property  as  to  let  your  joy  make  you  sick,  for 
remember,  rich  as  you  are,  that  it  will  be  eleven  years 
before  you  can  come  into  possession  of  your  fortune." 

She  added  much  more  good  advice,  to  all  of  which  I 
promised  to  be  calm  and  reasonable  and  not  to  allow 
my  pride  to  prevent  me  from  speaking  to  my  brothers 
and  sisters  when  I  returned  home. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  meadow,  which  was  in  that 
part  of  the  "  Plum  Trees  "  known  as  "  East  Swamp," 
I  asked  my  father  where  "  Ivy  Island  "  was. 

"  Yonder,  at  the  north  end  of  this  meadow,  where 
you  see  those  beautiful  tress  rising  in  the  distance." 

All  the  forenoon  I  turned  grass  as  fast  as  two  men 
could  cut  it,  and  after  a  hasty  repast  at  noon,  one  of  our 
hired  men,  a  good  natured  Irishman,  named  Edmund, 
took  an  axe  on  his  shoulder  and  announced  that  he  was 
ready  to  accompany  me  to  "  Ivy  Island."  We  started, 
and  as  we  approached  the  north  end  of  the  meadow  we 
found  the  ground  swampy  and  wet  and  were  soon 
obliged  to  leap  from  bog  to  bog  on  our  route.  A  mis 
step  brought  me  up  to  my  middle  in  water.  To  add  to 
the  dilemma  a  swarm  of  hornets  attacked  me.  Attain 
ing  .the  altitude  of  another  bog  I  was  cheered  by  the 
assurance  that  there  was  only  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  this 
kind  of  travel  to  the  edge  of  my  property.  I  waded  on. 
In  about  fifteen  minutes  more,  after  floundering  through 


32  •  EARLY  LIFE. 

the  morass,  I  found  myself  half-drowned,  hornet-stung, 
mud- covered,  and  out  of  breath,  on  comparatively  dry 
land. 

"  Never  mind,  my  boy,"  said  Edmund,  "  we  have  only 
to  cross  this  little  creek,  and  ye'll  be  upon  your  own 
valuable  property." 

We  were  on  the  margin  of  a  stream,  the  banks  of 
which  were  thickly  covered  with  alders.  I  now  dis 
covered  the  use  of  Edmund's  axe,  for  he  felled  a  small 
oak  to  form  a  temporary  bridge  to  my  "  Island  "  prop 
erty.  Crossing  over,  I  proceeded  to  the  centre  of  my 
domain ;  I  saw  nothing  but  a  few  stunted  ivies  and  strag 
gling  trees.  The  truth  flashed  upon  me.  I  had  been 
the  laughing-stock  of  the  family  and  neighborhood  for 
years.  My  valuable  "  Ivy  Island "  was  an  almost 
inaccessible,  worthless  bit  of  barren  land,  and  while  I 
stood  deploring  my  sudden  downfall,  a  huge  black  snake 
(one  of  my  tenants)  approached  me  with  upraised  head. 
I  gave  one  shriek  and  rushed  for  the  bridge. 

This  was  my  first,  and,  I  need  not  say,  my  last  visit  to 
"  Ivy  Island."  My  father  asked  me  "  how  I  liked  my 
property  I "  and  I  responded  that  I  would  sell  it  pretty 
cheap.  My  grandfather  congratulated  me  upon  my 
visit  to  my  property  as  seriously  as  if  it  had  been  indeed 
a  valuable  domain.  My  mother  hoped  its  richness  had 
fully  equalled  my  anticipations.  The  neighbors  desired 
to  know  if  I  was  not  now  glad  I  was  named  Phindas, 
and  for  five  years  forward  I  was  frequently  reminded 
of  my  wealth  in  "  Ivy  Island." 

As  I  grew  older,  my  settled  aversion  to  manual  labor, 
farm  or  other  kind,  was  manifest  in  various  ways,  which 
were  set  down  to  the  general  score  of  laziness.  In 
despair  of  doing  better  with  me,  my  father  concluded  to 


EARLY  LIFE.  33 

make  a  merchant  of  me.  He  erected  a  building  in  Bethel, 
and  with  Mr.  Hiram  Weed  as  a  partner,  purchased  a 
stock  of  dry  goods,  hardware,  groceries,  and  general 
notions  and  installed  me  as  clerk  in  this  country  store. 

Of  course  I  "  felt  my  oats."  It  was  condescension  on 
my  part  to  talk  with  boys  who  did  out-door  work.  I 
stood  behind  the  counter  with  a  pen  over  my  ear,  was 
polite  to  the  ladies,  and  was  wonderfully  active  in  wait 
ing  upon  customers.  We  kept  a  cash,  credit  and  barter 
store,  and  I  drove  some  sharp  bargains  with  women 
who  brought  butter,  eggs,  beeswax  and  feathers  to 
exchange  for  dry  goods,  and  with  men  who  wanted  to 
trade  oats,  corn,  buckwheat,  axe-helves,  hats,  and  other 
commodities  for  tenpenny  nails,  molasses,  or  New 
England  rum.  But  it  was  a  drawback  upon  my  dignity 
that  I  was  obliged  to  take  down  the  shutters,  sweep  the 
store,  and  make  the  fire.  I  received  a  small  salary  for 
my  services  and  the  perquisite  of  what  profit  I  could 
derive  from  purchasing  candies  on  my  own  account  to 
sell  to  our  younger  customers,  and,  as  usual,  my  father 
stipulated  that  I  should  clothe  myself. 

There  is  a  great  deal  to  be  learned  in  a  country 
store,  and  principally  this  —  that  sharp  trades,  tricks, 
dishonesty,  and  deception  are  by  no  means  confined 
to  the  city.  More  than  once,  in  cutting  open  bundles 
of  rags,  brought  to  be  exchanged  for  goods,  and 
warranted  to  be  all  linen  and  cotton,  I  have  discovered 
in  the  interior  worthless  woolen  trash  and  sometimes 
stones,  gravel  or  ashes.  Sometimes,  too,  when  measur 
ing  loads  of  oats,  corn  or  rye,  declared  to  contain 
a  specified  number  of  bushels,  say  sixty,  I  have  found 
them  four  or  five  bushels  short.  In  such  cases,  some 
one  else  was  always  to  blame,  but  these  happenings 


34:  EAKLY  LIFE. 

were  frequent  enough  to  make  us  watchful  of  our 
customers.  In  the  evenings  and  on  wet  days  trade  was 
always  dull,  and  at  such  times  the  story-telling  and 
joke-playing  wits  and  wags  of  the  village  used  to 
assemble  in  our  store,  and  from  them  I  derived  con 
siderable  amusement,  if  not  profit.  -  After  the  store  was 
closed  at  night,  I  frequently  joined  some  of  the  village 
boys  at  the  houses  of  their  parents,  where,  with  story 
telling  and  play,  a  couple  of  hours  would  soon  pass  by, 
and  then  as  late,  perhaps,  as  eleven  o'clock,  I  went 
home  and  slyly  crept  up  stairs  so  as  not  to  awaken  my 
brother  with  whom  I  slept,  and  who  would  be  sure 
to  report  my  late  hours.  He  made  every  attempt,  and 
laid  all  sorts  of  plans  to  catch  me  on  my  return, 
but  as  sleep  always  overtook  him,  I  managed  easily  to 
elude  his  efforts. 

Like  most  people  in  Connecticut  in  those  days,  I  was 
brought  up  to  attend  church  regularly  on  Sunday,  and 
long  before  I  could  read  I  was  a  prominent  scholar 
in  the  Sunday  school.  My  good  mother  taught  me  my 
lessons  in  the  New  Testament  and  the  Catechism, 
and  my  every  effort  was  directed  to  win  one  of  those 
"  Rewards  of  Merit,"  which  promised  to  pay  the  bearer 
one  mill,  so  that  ten  of  these  prizes  amounted  to 
one  cent,  and  one  hundred  of  them,  which  might 
be  won  by  faithful  assiduity  every  Sunday  for  two  years, 
would  buy  a  Sunday  school  book  worth  ten  cents. 
Such  were  the  magnificent  rewards  held  out  to  the 
religious  ambition  of  youth. 

There  was  but  one  church  or  "  meeting-house "  in 
Bethel,  which  all  attended,  sinking  all  differences 
of  creed  in  the  Presbyterian  faith.  The  old  meeting 
house  had  neither  steeple  nor  bell  and  was  a  plain 


EAELY  LIFE.  35 

edifice,  comfortable  enough  in  summer,  but  my  teeth, 
chatter  even  now  when  I  think  of  the  dreary,  cold, 
freezing  hours  we  passed  in  that  place  in  winter.  A 
stove  in  a  meeting-house  in  those  days  would  have  been 
a  sacrilegious  innovation.  The  sermons  were  from 
an  hour  and  one  half  to  two  hours  long,  and  through 
these  the  congregation  would  sit  and  shiver  till  they 
really  merited  the  title  the  profane  gave  them  of  "  blue 
skins,"  Some  of  the  women  carried  a  "  foot-stove " 
consisting  of  a  small  square  tin  box  in  a  wooden  frame, 
the  sides  perforated,  and  in  the  interior  there  was  a  small 
square  iron  dish,  which  contained  a  few  live  coals 
covered  with  ashes.  These  stoves  were  usually  replen 
ished  just  before  meeting  time  at  some  neighbor's  near 
the  meeting-house. 

After  many  years  of  shivering  and  suffering,  one  of 
the  brethren  had  the  temerity  to  propose  that  the 
church  should  be  warmed  with  a  stove.  His  impious 
proposition  was  voted  down  by  an  overwhelming 
majority.  .  Another  year  came  around,  and  in  November 
the  stove  question  was  again  brought  up.  The  excite 
ment  was  immense.  The  subject  was  discussed  in  the 
village  stores  and  in  the  juvenile  debating  club ;  it 
was  prayed  over  in  conference  ;  and  finally  in  general 
"  society's  meeting,"  in  December,  the  stove  was  carried 
by  a  majority  of  one  and  was  introduced  into,  the  meet 
ing-house.  On  the  first  Sunday  thereafter,  two  ancient 
maiden  ladies  were  so  oppressed  by  the  dry  and  heated 
atmosphere  occasioned  by  the  wicked  innovation,  that 
they  fainted  away  and  were  carried  out  into  the  cool  air 
where  they  speedily  returned  to  consciousness,  espe 
cially  when  they  were  informed  that  owing  to  the  lack 
of  two  lengths  of  pipe,  no  fire  had  yet  been  made  in  the 
2* 


36  EARLY  LIFE. 

stove.  The  next  Sunday  was  a  bitter  cold  day,  and  the 
stove,  filled  with  well-seasoned  hickory,  was  a  great 
gratification  to  the  many,  and  displeased  only  a  few. 
After  the  benediction,  an  old  deacon  rose  and  requested 
the  congregation  to  remain,  and  called  upon  them  to 
witness  that  he  had  from  the  first  raised  his  voice 
against  the  introduction  of  a  stove  into  the  house  of  the 
Lord ;  but  the  majority  had  been  against  him  and  he 
had  submitted ;  now,  if  they  must  have  a  stove,  he 
insisted  upon  having  a  large  one,  since  the  present  one 
did  not  heat  the  whole  house,  but  drove  the  cold  to  the 
back  outside  pews,  making  them  three  times  as  cold  as 
they  were  before !  In  the  course  of  the  week,  this 
deacon  was  made  to  comprehend  that,  unless  on 
unusually  severe  days,  the  stove  was  sufficient  to  warm 
the  house,  and,  at  any  rate,  it  did  not  drive  all  the  cold 
in  the  house  into  one  corner. 

During  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lowe's  ministrations  at  Bethel, 
he  formed  a  Bible  class,  of  which  I  was  a  member.  We 
used  to  draw  promiscuously  from  a  hat  a  text  of  scrip 
ture  and  write  a  composition  on  the  text,  which  compo 
sitions  were  read  after  service  in  the  afternoon,  to  such 
of  the  congregation  as  remained  to  hear  the  exercises 
of  the  class.  Once,  I  remember,  I  drew  the  text,  Luke 
x.  42  :  "  But  one  thing  is  needful ;  and  Mary  hath 
chosen  that  good  part  which  shall  not  be  taken  away 
from  her."  Question,  "  What  is  the  one  thing  need 
ful  ? "  My  answer  was  nearly  as  follows  : 

"  This  question  c  what  is  the  one  thing  needful  I '  is 
capable  of  receiving  various  answers,  depending  much 
upon  the"  persons  to  whom  it  is  addressed.  The  mer 
chant  might  answer  that  '  the  one  thing  needful '  is 
plenty  of  customers,  who  buy  liberally,  without  beating 


EARLY  LIFE.  37 

down  and  pay  cash,  for  all  their  purchases.'  The  farmer 
might  reply,  that  '  the  one  thing  needful  is  large  har 
vests  and  high  prices.'  The  physician  might  answer 
that  'it  is  plenty  of  patients/  The  lawyer  might  be 
of  opinion  that  '  it  is  an  unruly  community,  always  en 
gaged  in  bickerings  and  litigations/  The  clergyman 
might  reply,  '  It  is  a  fat  salary  with  multitudes  of  sin 
ners  seeking  salvation  and  paying  large  pew  rents/ 
The  bachelor  might  exclaim,  'It  is  a  pretty  wife  who 
loves  her  husband,  and  who  knows  how  to  sew  on  but 
tons/  The  maiden  might  answer,  'It  is  a  good  hus 
band,  who  will  love,  cherish  and  protect  me  while  life 
shall  last/  But  the  most  proper  answer,  and  doubtless 
that  which  applied  to  the  case  of  Mary,  would  be,  '  The 
one  thing  needful  is  to  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
follow  in  his  footsteps,  love  God  and  obey  His  com 
mandments,  love  our  fellow-man,  and  embrace  every 
opportunity  of  administering  to  his  necessities.  In  short, 
'  the  one  thing  needful '  is  to  live  a  life  that  we  can 
always  look  back  upon  with  satisfaction,  and  be  enabled 
ever  to  contemplate  its  termination  with  trust  in  Him 
who  has  so  kindly  vouchsafed  it  to  us,  surrounding  us 
with  innumerable  blessings,  if  we  have  but  the  heart 
and  wisdom  to  receive  them  in  a  proper  manner." 

The  reading  of  a  portion  of  this  answer  occasioned 
some  amusement  in  the  congregation,  in  which  the 
clergyman  himself  joined,  and  the  name  of  "  Taylor 
Barnum  "  was  whispered  in  connection  with  the  compo 
sition  ;  but  at  the  close  of  the  reading  I  had  the  satisfac 
tion  of  hearing  Mr.  Lowe  say  that  it  was  a  well  written 
and  truthful  answer  to  the  question,  "  What  is  the  one 
thing  needful?" 

jrirr;T 


CHAPTER    H. 

INCIDENTS  AND  ANECDOTES. 

DEATH  OF  MY  GRANDMOTHER  —  MT  FATHER—  HIS  CHARACTER  —  HIS  DEATH  — 
BEGINNING  THE  WORLD  BAREFOOTED  —  GOING  TO  GRASSY  PLAINS  —  THE  TIN 
WARE  AND  GREEN  BOTTLE  LOTTERY  — "  CHAIR Y  "  HALLETT  —  OUR  FIRST  MEET 
ING —  EVENING  RIDE  TO  BETHEL  —  A  NOVEL  FUR  TRADE  —  OLD  "  RUSHIA  " 
AND  YOUNG  "RUSHIA" — THE  BUYER  SOLD  —  COUNTRY  STORE  EXPERIENCES 

—  OLD  "  UNCLE  BIBBINS"  — A  TERIBLE  DUEL  BETWEEN  BENTON    AND   BIBBINS 

—  FALL  OF  BENTON  —  FLIGHT  OF  BIBBINS. 

IN  the  month  of  August,  1825,  my  maternal  grand 
mother  met  with  an  accident  in  stepping  on  the  point 
of  a  rusty  nail,  and,  though  the  matter  was  at  first  con 
sidered  trivial,  it  resulted  in  her  death.  Alarming 
symptoms  soon  made  her  sensible  that  she  was  on  her 
death-bed ;  and  while  she  was  in  full  possession  of  her 
faculties,  the  day  before  she  died  she  sent  for  her  grand 
children  to  take  final  leave  of  them.  I  shall  never 
forget  the  sensations  I  experienced  when  she  took  me 
by  the  hand  and  besought  me  to  lead  a  religious  life, 
and  especially  to  remember  that  I  could  in  no  way  so 
effectually  prove  my  love  to  God  as  by  loving  all  my 
fellow-beings.  The  impressions  of  that  death-bed  scene 
have  ever  been  among  my  most  vivid  recollections,  and 
I  trust  they  have  proved  in  some  degree  salutary.  A 
more  exemplary  woman,  or  a  more  sincere  Christian 
than  my  grandmother,  I  have  never  known. 

My  father,  for  his  time  and  locality,  was  a  man  of 
much  enterprise.  He  could,  and  actually  did,  "  keep  a 
hotel "  ;  he  had  a  livery  stable  and  ran,  in  a  small  way, 


INCIDENTS  AND  ANECDOTES.  39 

what  in  our  day  would  be  called  a  Norwalk  Express  ; 
and  he  also  kept  a  country  store.  With  greater  oppor 
tunities  and  a  larger  field  for  his  efforts  and  energies,  he 
might  have  been  a  man  of  mark  and  means.  Not  that 
he  was  successful,  for  he  never  did  a  profitable  busi 
ness  ;  but  I,  who  saw  him  in  his  various  pursuits,  and 
acted  as  his  clerk,  caught  something  of  his  enterpris 
ing  spirit,  and,  perhaps  without  egotism,  I  may  say 
I  inherited  that  characteristic.  My  business  education 
was  as  good  as  the  limited  field  afforded,  and  I  soon 
put  it  to  account  and  service. 

On  the  7th  of  September,  1825,  my  father,  who  had 
been  sick  since  the  month  of  March,  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-eight  years.  My  mother  was  left  with  five 
children,  of  whom  I,  at  fifteen  years  of  age,  w'as  the 
eldest,  while  the  youngest  was  but  seven.  It  was  soon 
apparent  that  my  father  had  provided  nothing  for  the 
support  of  his  family  ;  his  estate  was  insolvent,  and  it 
did  not  pay  fifty  cents  on  the  dollar.  My  mother, 
by  economy,  industry,  and  perseverance,  succeeded  in  a 
few  years  afterwards  in  redeeming  the  homestead  and 
becoming  its  sole  possessor ;  but,  at  the  date  of  the 
death  of  my  father,  the  world  looked  gloomy  indeed; 
the  few  dollars  I  had  accumulated  and  loaned  to  my 
father,  holding  his  note  therefor,  were  decided  to  be 
the  property  of  a  minor,  belonging  to  the  father  and  so 
to  the  estate,  and  my  small  claim  was  ruled  out.  I  was 
obliged  to  get  trusted  for  the  pair  of  shoes  I  wore  to 
my  father's  funeral.  I  literally  began  the  world  with 
nothing,  and  was  barefooted  at  that. 

Leaving  Mr.  Weed,  I  went  to  Grassy  Plain,  a  mile 
northwest  of  Bethel,  and  secured  a  situation  as  clerk  in 
the  store  of  James  S.  Keeler  &  Lewis  Whitlock  at 


40  INCIDENTS  AND  ANECDOTES. 

six  dollars  a  month  and  my  board.  I  lived  with  Mrs. 
Jerusha  Wheeler  and  her  daughters,  Jerusha  and  Mary, 
and  found  an  excellent  home.  I  chose  my  uncle, 
Alanson  Taylor,  as  my  guardian.  I  did  my  best  to 
please  my  employers  and  soon  gained  their  confidence 
and  esteem  and  was  regarded  by  them  as  an  active 
clerk  and  a  'cute  trader.  They  afforded  me  many 
facilities  for  making  money  on  my  own  account  and 
I  soon  entered  upon  sundry  speculations  and  succeeded 
in  getting  a  small  sum  of  money  ahead. 

I  made  a  very  remarkable  trade  at  one  time  for 
my  employers  by  purchasing,  in  their  absence,  a  whole 
wagon  load  of  green  glass  bottles  of  various  sizes,  for 
which  I  paid  in  unsalable  goods  at  very  profitable 
prices.  How  to  dispose  of  the  bottles  was  then  the 
problem,  and  as  it  was  also  desirable  to  get  rid  of  a 
large  quantity  of  tin  ware  which  had  been  in  the  shop 
for  years  and  was  considerably  "  shop-worn,"  I  con 
ceived  the  idea  of  a  lottery  in  which  the  highest  prize 
should  be  twenty-five  dollars,  payable  in  any  goods  the 
winner  desired,  while  there  were  to  be  fifty  prizes 
of  five  dollars  each,  payable  in  goods,  to  be  designated 
in  the  scheme.  Then  there  were  one  hundred  prizes 
of  one  dollar  each,  one  hundred  prizes  of  fifty  cents 
each,  and  three  hundred  prizes  of  twenty-five  cents 
each.  It  is  unnecessary  to  state  that  the  minor  prizes 
consisted  mainly  of  glass  and  tin  ware ;  the  tickets 
sold  like  wildfire,  and  the  worn  tin  and  glass  bottles 
were  speedily  turned  into  cash. 

As  my  mother  continued  to  keep  the  village  tavern 
at  Bethel,  I  usually  went  home  on  Saturday  night  and 
stayed  till  Monday  morning,  going  to  church  with  iny 
mother  on  Sunday.  This  habit  was  the  occasion  of  an 


INCIDENTS  AND  ANECDOTES.  41 

experience  of  momentous  consequence  to  me.  One 
Saturday  evening,  during  a  violent  thunder  shower,  Miss 
Mary  Wheeler,  a  milliner,  sent  me  word  that  there  was 
a  girl  from  Bethel  at  her  house,  who  had  come  up  on 
horseback  to  get  a  new  bonnet ;  that  she  was  afraid  to 
go  back  alone  ;  and  if  I  was  going  to  Bethel  that  even 
ing  she  wished  me  to  escort  her  customer.  I  assented, 
and  went  over  ta  "  Aunt  Rushia's  "  where  I  was  intro 
duced  to  "Chairy"  (Charity)  Hallett,  a  fair,  rosy- 
cheeked,  buxom  girl,  with  beautiful  white  teeth.  I 
assisted  her  to  her  saddle,  and  mounting  my  own  horse, 
we  trotted  towards  Bethel. 

My  first  impressions  of  this  girl  as  I  saw  her  at  the 
house  were  exceedingly  favorable.  As  soon  as  we 
started  I  began  a  conversation  with  her  and  finding  her 
very  affable  I  regretted  that  the  distance  to  Bethel  was 
not  five  miles  instead  of  one.  A  flash  of  lightning  gave 
me  a  distinct  view  of  the  face  of  my  fair  companion  and 
then  I  wished  the  distance  was  twenty  miles.  During 
our  ride  I  learned  that  she  was  a  tailoress,  working 
with  Mr.  Zerah  Benedict,  of  Bethel.  We  soon  arrived 
at  our  destination  and  I  bid  her  good  night  and  went 
home.  The  next  day  I  saw  her  at  church,  and,  indeed, 
many  Sundays  afterwards,  but  I  had  no  opportunity  to 
renew  the  acquaintance  that  season. 

Mrs.  Jerusha  Wheeler,  with  whom  I  boarded,  and  her 
daughter  Jerusha  were  familiarly  known,  the  one  as 
"  Aunt  Rushia,"  and  the  other  as  "  Rushia."  Many  of 
our  store  customers  were  hatters,  and  among  the  many 
kinds  of  furs  we  sold  for  the  nap  of  hats  was  one  known 
to  the  trade  as  "  Russia.37  One  day  a  hatter,  Walter 
Dibble,  called  to  buy  some  furs.  I  sold  him  several 
kinds,  including  "beaver"  and  "  cony,"  and  he  then 


42  INCIDENTS  AND  ANECDOTES. 

asked  for  some  "Russia."  We  had  none,  and,  as  I 
wanted  to  play  a  joke  upon  him,  I  told  him  that  Mrs. 
Wheeler  had  several  hundred  pounds  of  "  Russia." 

"  What  on  earth  is  a  woman  doing  with  '  Russia"? " 
said  he. 

I  could  not  answer,  but  I  assured  him  that  there 
were  one  hundred  and  thirty  pounds  of  old  Rushia  and 
one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  young  Rushia  in  Mrs. 
Wheeler's  house,  and  under  her  charge,  but  whether  or 
not  it  was  for  sale  I  could  not  say.  Off  he  started  to 
make  the  purchase  and  knocked  at  the  door.  Mrs. 
Wheeler,  the  elder,  made  her  appearance. 

"  I  want  to  get  your  Russia,"  said  the  hatter. 

Mrs.  Wheeler  asked  him  to  walk  in  and  be  seated. 
She,  of  course,  supposed  that  he  had  come  for  her 
daughter  "  Rushia." 

"  What  do  you  want  of  Rushia? "  asked  the  old  lady. 

"  To  make  hats,"  was  the  reply. 

"To  trim  hats,  I  suppose  you  mean]"  responded 
Mrs.  Wheeler. 

"  No,  for  the  outside  of  hats,"  replied  the  hatter. 

"  Well,  I  do  n't  know  much  about  hats,"  said  the  old 
lady,  '^but  I  will  call  my  daughter." 

Passing  into  another  room  where  "  Rushia "  the 
younger  was  at  work,  she  informed  her  that  a  man 
wanted  her  to  make  hats. 

"  Oh,  he  means  sister  Mary,  probably.  I  suppose  he 
wants  some  ladies'  hats,"  replied  Rushia,  as  she  went 
into  the  parlor. 

"  This  is  my  daughter,"  said  the  old  lady. 

"  I  want  to  get  your  Russia,"  said  he,  addressing 
the  young  lady. 

"  1  suppose  you  wish  to  see  my  sister  Mary ;  she  is 
our  milliner,"  said  young  Rushia. 


INCIDENTS  AND  ANECDOTES  43 

"  I  wish  to  see  whoever  owns  the  property,"  said 
the  hatter. 

Sister  Mary  was  sent  for,  and  as  she  was  introduced, 
the  hatter  informed  her  that  he  wished  to  buy  her 
"  Russia." 

"  Buy  Rushia ! "  exclaimed  Mary  in  surprise ;  "  1 
do  n't  understand  you." 

"  Your  name  is  Miss  Wheeler,  I  believe,"  said  the 
hatter,  who  was  annoyed  by  the  difficulty  he  met  with 
in  being  understood. 

"  It  is,  sir." 

"Ah!  very  well.  Is  there  old  and  young  Russia 
in  the  house  I  " 

"  I  believe  there  is,"  said  Mary,  surprised  at  the 
familiar  manner  in  which  he  spoke  of  her  mother  and 
sister,  who  were  present. 

"  What  is  the  price  of  old  Russia  per  pound? "  asked 
the  hatter. 

"  I  believe,  sir,  that  old  Rushia  is  not  for  sale," 
replied  Mary  indignantly. 

"  Well,  what  do  you  ask  for  young  Russia  I "  pur 
sued  the  hatter. 

"Sir,"  said  Miss  Rushia  the  younger,  springing  to 
her  feet,  "  do  you  come  here  to  insult  defenceless 
females  I  If  you  do,  sir,  we  will  soon  call  our  brother, 
who  is  in  the  garden,  and  he  will  punish  you  as  you 
deserve." 

"  Ladies ! "  exclaimed  the  hatter,  in  astonishment, 
"  what  on  earth  have  I  done  to  offend  you  1  I  came 
here  on  a  business  matter.  I  want  to  buy  some  Russia. 
I  was  told  you  had  old  and  young  Russia  in  the  house. 
Indeed,  this  young  lady  just  stated  such  to  be  the  fact, 
but  she  says  the  old  Russia  is  not  for  sale.  Now,  if 


4:4  INCIDENTS  AND  ANECDOTES. 

I  can  buy  the  young  Eussia  I  want  to  do  so  —  but 
if  that  can't  be  done,  please  to  say  so  and  I  will  trouble 
you  no  further." 

"  Mother,  open  the  door  and  let  this  man  go  out ;  he 
is  undoubtedly  crazy,"  said  Miss  Mary. 

"  By  thunder !  I  believe  I  shall  be  if  I  remain  here 
long,"  exclaimed  the  hatter,  considerably  excited.  "  I 
wonder  if  folks  never  do  business  in  these  parts,  that 
you  think  a  man  is  crazy  if  he  attempts  such  a  thing  I " 

"  Business  !  poor  man !  "  said  Mary  soothingly,  ap 
proaching  the  door. 

"  I  am  not  a  poor  man,  madam,"  replied  the  hatter. 
"  My  name  is  Walter  Dibble ;  I  carry  on  hatting  exten 
sively  in  D anbury ;  I  came  to  Grassy  Plains  to  buy  fur, 
and  have  purchased  some  '  beaver '  and  '  cony,'  and 
now  it  seems  I  am  to  be  called  '  crazy '  and  a  '  poor 
man/  because  I  want  to  buy  a  little  '  Russia '  to  make 
up  my  assortment." 

The  ladies  began  to  open  their  eyes ;  they  saw  that 
Mr.  Dibble  was  quite  in  earnest,  and  his  explanation 
threw  considerable  light  upon  the  subject. 

"  Who  sent  you  here  ? "  asked  sister  Mary. 

"  The  clerk  at  the  opposite  store,"  was  the  reply. 

"  He  is  a  wicked  young  fellow  for  making  all  this 
trouble,"  said  the  old  lady ;  "he  has  been  doing  this 
for  a  joke." 

"  A  joke  !  "  exclaimed  Dibble,  in  surprise.  "  Have 
you  no  Eussia,  then  ?  " 

"  My  name  is  Jerusha,  and  so  is  my  daughter's,"  said 
Mrs.  Wheeler,  "  and  that,  I  suppose,  is  what  he  meant 
by  telling  you  about  old  and  young  Eushia." 

Mr.  Dibble  bolted  through  the  door  without  another 
word  and  made  directly  for  our  store.  w  You  young 


INCIDENTS  AND  ANECDOTES.  45 


i 


scamp  !  "  said  he  as  he  entered  ;  "  what  did  you  mean 
by  sending  me  over  there  to  buy  Russia  1 " 

"  I  did  not  send  you  to  buy  Rushia ;  I  supposed  you 
were  either  a  bachelor  or  widower  and  wanted  to  marry 
Rushia,"  I  replied,  with  a  serious  countenance. 

"  You  lie,  you  young  dog,  and  you  know  it ;  but 
never  mind,  I '11  pay  you  off  some  day"  ;  and  taking  his 
furs,  he  departed  with  less  ill-humor  than  could  have 
been  expected  under  the  circumstances. 

Among  our  customers  were  three  or  four  old  Revolu 
tionary  pensioners,  who  traded  out  the  amounts  of  their 
pensions  before  they  were  due,  leaving  their  papers  as 
security.  One  of  these  pensioners  was  old  Be  vans, 
commonly  known  as  "  Uncle  Bibbins,"  a  man  who  loved 
his  glass  and  was  very  prone  to  relate  romantic  Revolu 
tionary  anecdotes  and  adventures,  in  which  he,  of 
course,  was  conspicuous.  At  one  time  he  was  in  our 
debt,  and  though  we  held  his  pension  papers,  it 
would  be  three  months  before  the  money  could  be 
drawn.  It  was  desirable  to  get  him  away  for  that 
length  of  time,  and  we  hinted  to  him  that  it  would  be 
pleasant  to  make  a  visit  to  Guilford,  where  he  had  rela 
tions,  but  he  would  not  go.  Finally,  I  hit  upon  a  plan 
which  "  moved  "  him. 

A  journeyman  hatter,  named  Ben  ton,  who  was  fond 
of  a  practical  joke,  was  let  into  the  secret,  and  was 
persuaded  to  call  "  Uncle  Bibbins "  a  coward,  to  tell 
him  that  he  had  been  wounded  in  the  back,  and  thus  to 
provoke  a  duel,  which  he  did,  and  at  my  suggestion 
"  Uncle  Bibbins  "  challenged  Benton  to  fight  him  with 
musket  and  ball  at  a  distance  of  twenty  yards.  The 
challenge  was  accepted,  I  was  chosen  second  by  "  Uncle 
Bibbins,"  and  the  duel  was  to  come  off  immediately. 


46  INCIDENTS  AND  ANECDOTES. 

* 

My  principal,  taking  me  aside,  begged  me  to  put  noth 
ing  in  the  guns  but  blank  cartridges.  I  assured  hitn  it 
should  be  so,  and  therefore  that  he.  might  feel  perfectly 
safe.  This  gave  the  old  man  extra  courage ;  he 
declared  that  he  had  not  been  so  long  in  bloody  battles 
"  for  nothing,"  and  that  he  would  put  a  bullet  through 
Benton's  heart  at  the  first  shot. 

The  ground  was  measured  in  the  lot  at  the  rear 
of  our  store,  and  the  principals  and  seconds  took  their 
places.  At  the  word  given  both  parties  fired.  "  Uncle 
Bibbins,"  of  course,  escaped  unhurt,  but  Benton  leaped 
several  feet  into  the  air,  and  fell  upon  the  ground  with 
a  dreadful  yell,  as  if  he  had  been  really  shot.  "  Uncle 
Bibbins"  was  frightened.  As  his  second,  I  ran  to 
him,  told  him  I  had  neglected  to  extract  the  bullet  from 
his  gun  (which  was  literally  true,  as  there  was  no 
bullet  in  it  to  extract),  and  he  supposed,  of  course,  he 
had  killed  his  adversary.  I  then  whispered  to  him  to 
go  immediately  to  Guilford,  to  keep  quiet,  and  he  should 
hear  from  me  as  soon  as  it  would  be  safe  to  do  so.  He 
started  up  the  street  on  a  run,  and  immediately  quit  the 
town  for  Guilford,  where  he  kept  himself  quiet  until  it 
was  time  for  him  to  return  and  sign  his  papers.  I  then 
wrote  him  that  "  he  could  return  in  safety ;  that  his 
adversary  had  recovered  from  his  wound,  and  now  for 
gave  him  all,  as  he  felt  himself  much  to  blame  for 
having  insulted  a  man  of  his  known  courage." 

"  Uncle  Bibbins "  returned,  signed  the  papers,  and 
we  obtained  the  pension  money.  A  few  days  thereafter 
he  met  Benton. 

"  My  brave  old  friend,"  said  Benton,  "  I  forgive  you 
my  terrible  wound  and  long  confinement  on  the  brink 
of  the  grave,  and  I  beg  you  to  forgive  me  also.  I 
insulted  you  without  a  cause." 


INCIDENTS  AND  ANECDOTES.  47 

"  I  forgive  you  freely,"  said  "  Uncle  Bibbins " : 
"  but,"  he  added,  "  you  must  be  careful  next  time  how 
you  insult  a  dead  shot." 

Benton  promised  to  be  more  circumspect  in  future, 
and  "  Uncle  Bibbins  "  supposed  to  the  day  of  his  death 
that  the  duel,  wound,  danger,  and  all,  were  matters  of 
fact. 


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CHAPTEE    III. 

IN    BUSINESS    FOE    MYSELF. 

MY  CLERKSHIP  IN  BROOKLYN— UNEASINESS  AND  DISSATISFACTION— THE  SMALL 
POX  —  GOING  HOME  TO  RECRUIT — "CHAIRY"  HALLETT  AGAIN  —  BACK  TO 
BROOKLYN  —  OPENING  A  PORTER-HOUSE  —  SELLING  OUT — MY  CLERKSHIP  IN 
NEW  YORK  —  MY  HABITS — OBSERVANCE  OF  SUNDAY — IN  BETHEL  ONCE 
MORE — BEGINNING  BUSINESS  ON  MY  OWN  ACCOUNT  —  OPENING  DAY  —  LARGE 
SALES  AND  GREAT  PROFITS— THE  LOTTERY  BUSINESS  — VIEWS  THEREON— 
ABOUT  A  POCKET-BOOK  —  WITS  AND  WAGS  —  SWEARING  OUT  A  FINE  —  FIRST 
APPEARANCE  AT  THE  BAR — SECURING  "ARABIAN" — A  MODEL  LOVE-LETTER. 

MR.  OLIVER  TAYLOR  removed  from  Danbury  to 
Brooklyn,  Long  Island,  where  he  kept  a  grocery  store 
and  also  had  a  large  comb  factory  and  a  comb  store  in 
New  York.  In  the  fall  of  1826  he  offered  me  a  situa 
tion  as  clerk  in  his  Brooklyn  store,  and  I  accepted  it.  I 
soon  became  conversant  with  the  routine  of  my  em 
ployer's  business  and  before  long  he  entrusted  to  me  the 
purchasing  of  all  goods  for  his  store.  I  bought  for  cash 
entirely,  going  into  the  lower  part  of  New  York  City 
in  search  of  the  cheapest  market  for  groceries,  often 
attending  auctions  of  teas,  sugars,  molasses,  etc.,  watch 
ing  the  sales,  noting  prices  and  buyers,  and  frequently 
combining  with  other  grocers  to  bid  off  large  lots,  which 
we  subsequently  divided,  giving  each  of  us  the  quantity 
wanted  at  a  lower  rate  than  if  the  goods  had  passed 
into  other  hands,  compelling  us  to  pay  another  profit. 

Situated  as  I  was,  and  well  treated  as  I  was  by  my 
employer,  who  manifested  great  interest  in  me,  still  I 
was  dissatisfied.  A  salary  was  not  sufficient  for  me. 
My  disposition  was  of  that  speculative  character  which 


EST  BUSINESS  FOR  MYSELF.  49 

refused  to  be  satisfied  unless  I  was  engaged  in  some 
business  where  my  profits  might  be  enhanced,  or,  at 
least,  made  to  depend  upon  my  energy,  perseverance, 
attention  to  business,  tact,  and  "  calculation."  Accord 
ingly,  as  I  had  no  opportunity  to  speculate  on  my  own 
account,  I  became  uneasy,  and,  young  as  I  was,  I 
began  to  talk  of  setting  up  for  myself ;  for,  although  I 
had  no  capital,  several  men  of  means  had  offered  to  fur 
nish  the  money  and  join  me  in  business.  I  was  in  that 
uneasy,  transitory  state  between  boyhood  and  manhood 
when  I  had  unbounded  confidence  in  my  own  abilities, 
and  yet  needed  a  discreet  counsellor,  adviser  and  friend. 

In  the  following  summer,  1827,  I  wa^1  taken  down 
with  the  small-pox  and  was  confined  to  the  house  for 
several  months.  This  sickness  made  a  sad  inroad  upon 
my  means.  When  I  was  sufficiently  recovered,  I  started 
for  home  to  recruit,  taking  passage  on  board  a  sloop  for 
Norwalk,  but  the  remaining  passengers  were  so  fright 
ened  at  the  appearance  of  my  face,  which  still  bore  the 
marks  of  the  disease,  that  I  was  obliged  to  go  ashore 
again,  which  I  did,  stopping  at  Holt's,  in  Fulton  Street, 
going  to  Norwalk  by  steamboat  next  morning,  and 
arriving  at  Bethel  in  the  afternoon. 

During  my  convalescence  at  my  mother's  house,  I 
visited  my  old  friends  and  neighbors  and  had  the  oppor 
tunity  to  slightly  renew  my  acquaintance  with  the 
attractive  tailoress,  "  Chairy  "  Hallett.  A  month  after 
wards,  I  returned  to  Brooklyn,  where  I  gave  Mr.  Taylor 
notice  of  my  desire  to  leave  his  employment ;  and  I  then 
opened  a  porter-house  on  my  own  account.  In  a  few 
months  I  sold  out  to  good  advantage  and  accepted  a 
favorable  offer  to  engage  as  clerk  in  a  similar  estab 
lishment,  kept  by  Mr.  David  Thorp,  29  Peck  Slip, 


50  IN  BUSINESS  FOB  MYSELF. 

New  York.  It  was  a  great  resort  for  Danbury  and 
Bethel  comb  makers  and  hatters  and  I  thus  had  frequent 
opportunities  of  seeing  and  hearing  from  my  fellow- 
townsmen.  I  lived  in  Mr.  Thorp's  family  and  was 
kindly  treated.  I  was  often  permitted  to  visit  the 
theatre  with  friends  who  came  to  New  York,  and,  as  I 
had  considerable  taste  for  the  drama,  I  soon  became,  in 
my  own  opinion,  a  discriminating  critic  —  nor  did  I  fail 
to  exhibit  my  powers  to  my  Connecticut  friends  who 
accompanied  me  to  the  play.  Let  me  gratefully  add 
that  my  habits  were  not  bad.  Though  I  sold  liquors  to 
others,  I  do  not  think  I  ever  drank  a  pint  of  liquor, 
wine,  or  cordials  before  I  was  twenty-two  years  of  age. 
I  always  had  a  Bible,  which  I  frequently  read,  and  I 
attended  church  regularly.  These  habits,  so  far  as  they 
go,  are  in  the  right  direction,  and  I  am  thankful  to-day 
that  they  characterized  my  early  youth.  However 
worthy  or  unworthy  may  have  been  my  later  years,  I 
know  that  I  owe  much  of  the  better  part  of  my  nature 
to  my  youthful  regard  for  Sunday  and  its  institutions  — 
a  regard,  I  trust,  still  strong  in  my  character. 

In  February,  1828,  I  returned  to  Bethel  and  opened  a 
retail  fruit  and  confectionery  store  in  a  part  of  my  grand 
father's  carriage-house,  which  was  situated  on  the  main 
street,  and  which  was  offered  to  me  rent  free  if  I  would 
return  to  my  native  village  and  establish  some  sort  of 
business.  This  beginning  of  business  on  my  own 
account  was  an  eventful  era  in  my  life.  My  total  capi 
tal  was  one  hundred  and  twenty  dollars,  fifty  of  which 
I  had  expended  in  fitting  up  the  store,  and  the  remain 
ing  seventy  dollars  purchased  my  stock  in  trade.  I  had 
arranged  with  fruit  dealers  whom  I  knew  in  New  York, 
to  receive  my  orders,  and  I  decided  to  open  my  estab- 


IN  BUSINESS  FOB  MYSELF.  51 


lishment  on  the  first  Monday  in  May  —  our  "  general 
training  "  day. 

It  was  a  "  red  letter  "  day  for  me.  The  village  was 
crowded  with  people  from  the  surrounding  region  and 
the  novelty  of  my  little  shop  attracted  attention.  Long 
before  noon  I  was  obliged  to  call  in "  one  of.  my  old 
schoolmates  to  assist  in  waiting  upon  my  numerous  cus 
tomers  and  when  I  closed  at  night  I  had  the  satisfaction 
of  reckoning  up  sixty-three  dollars  as  my  day's  receipts. 
Nor,  although  I  had  received  the  entire  cost  of  my 
goods,  less  seven  dollars,  did  the  stock  seem  seriously 
diminished  ;  showing  that  my  profits  had  been  large.  I 
need  not  say  how  much  gratified  I  "was  with  the  result 
of  this  first  day's  experiment.  The  store  was  a  fixed 
fact.  I  went  to  New  York  and  expended  all  my  money 
in  a  stock  of  fancy  goods,  such  as  pocket-books,  combs, 
beads,  rings,  pocket-knives,  and  a  few  toys.  These, 
with  fruit,  nuts,  etc.,  made  the  business  good  through 
the  summer,  and  in  the  fall  I  added  stewed  oysters  to 
the  inducements. 

My  grandfather,  who  was  much  interested  in  my  suc 
cess,  advised  me  to  take  an  agency  for  the  sale  of  lottery 
tickets,  on  commission.  In  those  days,  the  lottery  was 
not  deemed  objectionable  on  the  score  of  morality. 
Very  worthy  people  invested  in  such  schemes  without  a 
thought  of  evil,  and  then,  as  now,  churches  even  got 
up  lotteries,  with  this  difference  —  that  then  they  were 
called  lotteries,  and  now  they  go  under  some  other 
name.  While  I  am  very  glad  that  an  improved  public 
sentiment  denounces  the  lottery  in  general  as  an  illegit 
imate  means  of  getting  money,  and  while  I  do  not  see 
how  any  one,  especially  in  or  near  a  New  England 
State,  can  engage  in  a  lottery  without  feeling  a  reproach 


52  IN  BUSINESS  FOR  MYSELF. 

which  no  pecuniary  return  can  compensate ;  yet  I  can 
not  now  accuse  myself  for  having  been  lured  into  a 
business  which  was  then  sanctioned  by  good  Christian 
people,  who  now  join  with  me  in  reprobating  enter 
prises  they  once  encouraged.  But  as  public  senti 
ment  was  forty  years  ago,  I  obtained  an  agency  to  sell 
lottery  tickets  on  a  commission  of  ten  per  cent,  and  this 
business,  in  connection  with  my  little  store,  made  my 
profits  quite  satisfactory. 

I  used  to  have  some  curious  customers.  On  one  occa 
sion  a  young  man  called  on  me  and  selected  a  pocket- 
book  which  pleased  him,  asking  me  to  give  him  credit 
for  a  few  weeks.  I  told  him  that  if  he  wanted  any 
article  of  necessity  in  my  line,  I  should  not  object  to 
trust  him  for  a  short  time,  but  it  struck  me  that  a 
pocket-book  was  a  decided  superfluity  for  a  man  who 
had  no  money ;  I  therefore  declined  to  trust  him  as  I 
did  not  see  the  necessity  for  his  possessing  such  an 
article  till  he  had  something  to  put  into  it.  Later  in 
life  I  have  been  credited  with  the  utterance  of  some 
sagacious  remarks,  but  this  with  regard  to  the  pocket- 
book,  trivial  as  the  matter  is  in  itself,  seems  to  me  quite 
as  deserving  of  note  as  any  of  my  ideas  which  have 
created  more  sensation. 

My  store  had  much  to  do  in  giving  shape  to  my 
future  character  as  well  as  career,  in  that  it  became  a 
favorite  resort;  the  theatre  of  village  talk,  and  the 
scene  of  many  practical  jokes.  For  any  excess  of  the 
jocose  element  in  my  character,  part  of  the  blame 
must  attach  to  my  early  surroundings  as  a  village  clerk 
and  merchant.  In  that  true  resort  of  village  wits 
and  wags,  the  country  store,  fun,  pure  and  simple, 
will  be  sure  to  find  the  surface.  My  Bethel  store 


IN  BUSINESS  FOK  MYSELF.  53 

was  the  "scene  of  many  most  amusing  incidents,  in 
some  of  which  I  was  an  immediate  participant, 
though  in  many,  of  course,  I  was  only  a  listener  or 
spectator. 

The  following  scene  makes  a  chapter  in  the  history 
of  Connecticut,  as  the  State  was  when  "  blue-laws " 
were  something  more  than  a  dead  letter.  To  swear  in 
those  days  was  according  to  custom,  but  contrary  to 
law.  A  person  from  New  York  State,  whom  I  will  call 
Crofut,  who  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  my  store,  was 
a  man  of  property,  and  equally  noted  for  his  self-will 
and  his  really  terrible  profanity.  One  day  he  was 
in  my  little  establishment  engaged  in  conversation, 
when  Nathan  Seelye,  Esq.,  one  of  our  village  justices 
of  the  peace,  and  a  man  of  strict  religious  principles, 
came  in,  and  hearing  Crofut's  profane  language  he  told 
him  he  considered  it  his  duty  to  fine  him  one  dollar  for 
swearing. 

Crofut  responded  immediately  with  an  oath,  that  he 
did  not  care  a  d — n  for  the  Connecticut  blue-laws. 

"  That  will  make  two  dollars,"  said  Mr.  Seelye. 

This  brought  forth  another  oath. 

46  Three  dollars,"  said  the  sturdy  justice. 

Nothing  but  oaths  were  given  in  reply,  until  Esquire 
Seelye  declared  the  damage  to  the  Connecticut  laws  to 
amount  to  fifteen  dollars. 

Crofut  took  out  a  twenty-dollar  bill,  and  handed  it  to 
the  justice  of  the  peace,  with  an  oath. 

"  Sixteen  dollars,"  said  Mr.  Seelye,  counting  out  four 
dollars  to  hand  to  Mr.  Crofut,  as  his  change. 

"  Oh,  keep  it,  keep  it,"  said  Crofut,  "  1  do  n't  want 
any  change,  I  '11  d — d  soon  swear  out  the  balance."  He 
did  so,  after  which  he  was  more  circumspect  in  his 


54  IN  BUSINESS  FOK  MYSELF. 

conversation,  remarking  that  twenty  dollars  a  day  for 
swearing  was  about  as  much  as  he  could  stand. ' 

On  another  .  occasion,  a  man  arrested  for  assault  and 
battery  was  to  be  tried  before  my  grandfather,'  who  was 
a  justice  of  the  peace.  A  young  medical  student  named 
Newton,  volunteered  to  defend  the  prisoner,  and  Mr. 
Couch,  the  grand-juryman,  came  to  me  and  said  that 
as  the  prisoner  had  engaged  a  pettifogger,  the  State 
ought  to  have  some  one  to  represent  its  interests  and 
he  would  give  me  a  dollar  to  present  the  case.  I 
accepted  the  fee  and  proposition.  The  fame  of  the 
"  eminent  counsel "  on  both  sides  drew  quite  a  crowd 
to  hear  the  case.  As  for  the  case  itself,  it  was  useless 
to  argue  it,  for  the  guilt  of  the  prisoner  was  established 
by  evidence  of  half  a  dozen  witnesses.  However,  New 
ton  was  bound  to  display  himself,  and  so,  rising  with 
much  dignity,  he  addressed  my  grandfather  with,  "  May 
it  please  the  honorable  court,"  etc.,  proceeding  with  a 
mixture  of  poetry  and  invective  against  Couch,  the 
grand-juryman  whom  he  assumed  to  ~be  the  vindictive 
plaintiff  in  this  case.  After  alluding  to  him  as  such 
for  the  twentieth  time,  my  grandfather  stopped  Newton 
in  the  midst  of  his  splendid  peroration  and  informed 
him  that  Mr.  Couch  was  not  the  plaintiff  in  the  case. 

"  Not  the  plaintiff!  Then  may  it  please  your  honor 
I  should  like  to  know  who  is  the  plaintiff?"  inquired 
Newton. 

He  was  quietly  informed  that  the  State  of  Connecti 
cut  was  the  plaintiff,  whereupon  Newton  dropped  into 
his  seat  as  if  he  had  been  shot.  Thereupon,  I  rose 
with  great  confidence,  and  speaking  from  my  notes, 
proceeded  to  show  the  guilt  of  the  prisoner  from  the 
evidence;  that  there  was  no  discrepancy  in  the  testi- 


IK  BUSINESS  FOR  MYSELF:  55 

mony  ;  that  none  of  the  witnesses  had  been  impeached; 
that  no  defence  had  been  offered ;  that  I  was  astonished 
at  the  audacity  of  both  counsel  and  prisoner  in  not 
pleading  guilty  at  once ;  and  then,  soaring  aloft  on  gen 
eral  principles,  I  began  to  look  about  for  a  safe  place 
to  alight,  when  my  grandfather  interrupted  me  with  — 

"  Young  man,  will  you  have  the  kindness  to  inform 
the  court  which  side  you  are  pleading  for  —  the  plaintiff 
or  the  defendant?" 

It  was  my  turn  to  drop,  which  I  did  amid  a  shout  of 
laughter  from  every  corner  of  the  court-room.  Newton, 
who  had  been  very  downcast,  looked  up  with  a  broad 
grin  and  the  two  "  eminent  counsel "  sneaked  out  of 
the  room  in  company,  while  the  prisoner  was  bound 
over  to  the  next  County  Court  for  trial. 

While  my  business  in  Bethel  continued  to  increase 
beyond  my  expectations,  I  was  also  happy  in  believing 
that  my  suit  with  the  fair  tailoress,  Charity  Hallett,  was 
duly  progressing.  Of  all  the  young  people  with  whom 
I  associated  in  oar  parties,  picnics,  and  sleigh-rides,  she 
stood  highest  in  my  estimation  and  continued  to  im 
prove  upon  acquaintance. 

How  I  managed  at  one  of  our  sleigh  rides  is  worth 
narrating.  My  grandfather  would,  at  any  time,  let  me 
have  a  horse  and  sleigh,  always  excepting  his  new 
sleigh,  the  finest  in  the  village,  and  a  favorite  horse 
called  "  Arabian."  I  especially  coveted  this  turnout  for 
one  of  our  parties,  knowing  that  I  could  eclipse  all  my 
comrades,  and  so  I  asked  grandfather  if  I  could  have 
"  Arabian  "  and  the  new  sleigh. 

"  Yes,  if  you  have  twenty  dollars  in  your  pocket," 
was  the  reply,  ai"  • 

I  immediately   showed   the   money,  and,  putting  it 


56  IN  BUSINESS  FOR  MYSELF. 

back  in  my  pocket,  said  with  a  laugh :  "  you  see  I  have 
the  money.  I  am  much  obliged  to  you ;  I  suppose  I 
can  have  '  Arab '  and  the  new  sleigh  I " 

Of  course,  he  meant  to  deny  me  by  making  what  he 
thought  to  be  an  impossible  condition,  to  wit:  that  I 
should  hire  the  team,  at  a  good  round  price,  if  I  had 
it  at  all,  but  I  had  caught  him  so  suddenly  that  he  was 
compelled  to  consent,  and  "  Chairy  "  and  I  had  the  crack 
team  of  the  party. 

There  was  a  young  apprentice  to  the  tailoring  trade 
in  Bethel,  whom  I  will  call  John  Mallett,  whose  educa 
tion  had  been  much  neglected,  and  who  had  been  pay 
ing  his  addresses  to  a  certain  "  Lucretia "  for  some  six 
months,  with  a  strong  probability  of  being  jilted  at  last. 
On  a  Sunday  evening  she  had  declined  to  take  his  arm, 
accepting  instead  the  arm  of  the  next  man  who  offered, 
and  Mallett  determined  to  demand  an  explanation.  He 
accordingly  came  to  me  the  Saturday  evening  following, 
asking  me,  when  I  had  closed  my  store,  to  write  a  strong 
and  remonstratory  "  love-letter  "  for  him.  I  asked  Bill 
Shepard,  who  was  present,  to  remain  and  assist,  and,  in 
due  time,  the  joint  efforts  of  Shepard,  Mallett,  and 
myself  resulted  in  the  following  production.  I  give  the 
letter  as  an  illustrative  chapter  in  real  life.  In  novels 
such  correspondence  is  usually  presented  in  elaborate 
rhetoric,  with  studied  elegance  of  phrase.  But  the  true 
language  of  the  heart  is  always  nearly  the  same  in  all 
time  and  in  all  tongues,  and  when  the  blood  is  up  the 
writer  is  far  more  intent  upon  the  matter  than  the 
manner,  and  aims  to  be  forcible  rather  than  elegant. 
The  subjoined  letter  is  certainly  not  after  the  manner  of 
Chesterfield,  but  it  is  such  a  letter  as  a  disappointed 
lover,  spurred  by 

The  green-eyed  monster,  which  doth  mock 
The  meat  it  feeds  on, 


IK  BUSINESS  FOR  MYSELF.  57 

frequently  indites.  With  a  demand  from  Mallett  that 
we  should  begin  in  strong  terms,  and  Shepard  acting 
as  scribe,  we  concocted  the  following : 

BETHEL, ,  18 — . 

Miss  LUCRETIA, — I  write  this  to  ask  an  explanation  of  your  conduct  in  giving 
me  the  mitten  on  Sunday  night  last.  If  you  think,  madam,  that  you  can  trifle 
with  my  affections,  and  turn  me  off  for  every  little  whipper-snapper  that  you  can 
pick  up,  you  will  find  yourself  considerably  mistaken.  [We  read  thus  far  to 
Mallett,  and  it  met  his  approval.  He  said  he  liked  the  idea  of  calling  her 
"madam,"  for  he  thought  it  sounded  so  "distant,"  it  would  hurt  her  feelings 
very  much.  The  term  "little  whipper-snapper"  also  delighted  him.  He  said 
he  guessed  that  would  make  her  feel  cheap.  Shepard  and  myself  were  not  quite 
so  sure  of  its  aptitude,  since  the  chap  who  succeeded  in  capturing  Lucretia,  on 
the  occasion  alluded  to,  was  a  head  and  shoulders  taller  than  Mallett.  However, 
we  did  not  intimate  our  thoughts  to  Mallett,  and  he  desired  us  to  "go  ahead  and 
give  her  another  dose."]  You  do  n't  know  me,  madam,  if  you  think  you  can  snap 
me  up  in  this  way.  I  wish  you  to  understand  that  I  can  have  the  company  of 
girls  as  much  above  you  as  the  sun  is  above  the  earth,  and  I  won't  stand  any 
of  your  impudent  nonsense  no  how.  [This  was  duly  read  and  approved.  "Now," 
said  Mallett,  "try  to  touch  her  feelings.  Remind  her  of  the  pleasant  hours  we 
have  spent  together  " ;  and  we  continued  as  follows :  ]  My  dear  Lucretia,  when  I 
think  of  the  many  pleasant  hours  we  have  spent  together  —  of  the  delightful  walks 
which  we  have  had  on  moonlight  evenings  to  Feuner's  Rocks,  Chestnut  Ridge, 
Grassy  Plains,  Wildcat,  and  Puppy-town  —  of  the  strolls  which  we  have  taken 
upon  Shelter  Rocks,  Cedar  Hill  —  the  visits  we  have  made  to  Old  Lane,  Wolfpits, 
Toad-hole  and  Plum-trees*  — when  all  these  things  come  rushing  on  my  mind, 
and  when,  my  dear  girl,  I  remember  how  often  you  have  told  me  that  you  loved 
me  better  than  anybody  else,  and  I  assured  you  my  feelings  were  the  same  as 
yours,  it  almost  breaks  my  heart  to  think  of  last  Sunday  night.  ["Can't  you 
stick  in  some  affecting  poetry  here?"  said  Mallett.  Shepard  could  not  recollect 
any  to  the  point,  nor  could  I,  but  as  the  exigency  of  the  case  seemed  to  require  it, 
we  concluded  to  manufacture  a  verse  or  two,  which  we  did  as  follows :] 

Lucretia,  dear,  what  have  I  done, 

That  you  should  use  me  thus  and  BO, 
To  take  the  arm  of  Tom  Beers'  son, 

And  let  your  dearest  true-love  go  ? 
Miserable  fate,  to  lose  you  now, 

And  tear  this  bleeding  heart  asunder  I 
•\  Will  you  forget  your  tender  vow  ? 

I  can't  believe  it  — no,  by  thunder  I 

[Mallett  did  not  like  the  word  "  thunder,"  but  being  informed  that  no  other 
word  could  be  substituted  without  destroying  both  rhyme  and  reason,  he 
consented  that  it  should  remain,  provided  we  added  two  more  stanzas  of  a  softer 
nature ;  something,  he  said,  that  would  make  the  tears  come,  if  possible.  We  then 
ground  out  the  following:] 

Lucretia,  dear,  do  write  to  Jack, 

And  say  with  Beers  you  are  not  smitten  ; 
And  thus  to  me  in  love  come  back, 

And  give  all  other  boys  the  mitten. 

*_  These  were  the  euphonious  names  of  localities  iu  the  vicinity  of  Bethel. 


58  IK  BUSINESS  FOR  MYSELF 

Do  this,  Lucrotia,  and  till  death 

I  '11  love  yon  to  intense  distractibn ; 
I'll  spend  for  you  my  every  breath, 

And  we  will  live  in  satisfaction. 

["  That  will  do  very  well,"  said  Mallett.  "  Now  I  guess  you  had  better  blow 
her  up  a  little  more."  We  obeyed  orders  as  follows:]  It  makes  me  mad 
to  think  what  a  fool  I  was  to  give  you  that  finger-ring  and  bosom-pin,  and  spend 
so  much  time  in  your  company,  just  to  be  flirted  and  bamboozled  as  I  was 
on  Sunday  night  last.  If  you  continue  this  course  of  conduct,  we  part  for  ever, 
and  I  will  thank  you  to  send  back  that  jewelry.  I  would  sooner  see  it  crushed 
under  my  feet  than  worn  by  a  person  who  abused  me  as  you  have  done.  1  shall 
despise  jrou  for  ever  if  you  don't  change  your  conduct  towards  me,  and  send  me  a 
letter  of  apology  on  Monday  next.  I  shall  not  go  to  meeting  to-morrow,  for  I 
would  scorn  to  sit  in  the  same  meeting-house  with  you  until  I  have  an  explana 
tion  of  your  conduct.  If  you  allow  any  young  man  to  go  home  with  you 
to-morrow  night,  I  shall  know  it,  for  you  will  be  watched.  ["There,"  said 
Mallett,  "  that  is  pretty  strong.  Now  I  guess  you  had  better  touch  her  feelings 
once  more,  and  wind  up  the  letter."  We  proceeded  as  follows:]  My  sweet  girl,  if 
you  only  knew  the  sleepless  nights  which  I  have  spent  during  the  present  week, 
the  torments  and  sufferings  which  I  endure  on  your  account;  if  you  could  but 
realize  that  I  regard  the  \vorld  as  less  than  nothing  without  you,  I  am  certain 
you  would  pity  me.  A  homely  cot  and  a  crust  of  bread  with  my  adorable 
Lucretia  would  be  a  paradise,  where  a  palace  without  you  would  be  a  hades. 
["What  in  thunder  is  hades?"  inquired  Jack.  We  explained.  He  considered 
the  figure  rather  bold,  and  requested  us  to  close  as  soon  as  possible.]  Now,  dear 
est,  in  bidding  you  adieu,  I  implore  you  to  reflect  on  our  past  enjoyments,  look 
forward  with  pleasiire  to  our  future  happy  meetings,  and  rely  upon  your 
affectionate  Jack  in  storm  or  calm,  in  sickness,  distress,  or  want,  for  all  these 
will  be  powerless  to  change  my  love.  I  hope  to  hear  from  you  on  Monday  next, 
and,  if  favorable,  I  shall  be  happy  to  call  on  you  the  same  evening,  when  in 
ecstatic  joy  wo  will  laugh  at  the  past,  hope  for  the  future,  and  draw  consolation 
from  the  fact  that  "the  coairse  of  true  love  never  did  run  smooth."  This  from 
your  disconsolate  but  still  hoping  lover  and  admirer,  JACK  MALLETT, 

P.  S.  — On  reflection  I  have  concluded  to  go  to  meeting  to-morrow.  If  all  is 
well,  hold  your  pocket-handkerchief  in  your  left  hand  as  you  stand  up  to  sing 
with  the  choir  —  in  which  case  I  shall  expect  the  pleasure  of  giving  you  my  arm 
to-morrow  night.  J.  M. 

The  effect  of  this  letter  upon  Lucretia,  I  regret  to 
say,  was  not  as  favorable  as  could  have  been  desired  or 
expected.  She  declined  to  remove  her  handkerchief 
from  her  right  hand. and  she  returned  the  "ring  and 
bosom-pin  "  to  her  disconsolate  admirer,  while,  not  many 
months  after,  Mallett's  rival  led  Lucretia  to  the  altar. 
As  for  Mallett's  agreement  to  pay  Shepard  and  myself 
five  pounds  of  carpet  rags  and  twelve  yards  of  broad 
cloth  "  lists,"  for  our  services,  owing  to  his  ill  success, 
we  compromised  for  one-half  the  amount. 


ft.  ruri  e&i;>{.v.j:iT?»  GO 

L'»vii  ivif  /foow  ,fi  10!  km*  Rdpi&hoqzd  lonriol  ujo  lo  IxcoiLi 

';//   ii-jf!^   ftOTOV^Olf  rr)ini^    jjiflj  lo.  I)HO  Gill  3 A:       .1f)V<)Io  Itf 
;  ,rul    liJO  lo   3ii;-j. '!»:*"   ^ift  t9lili>if   lot  tifda  o)  Lof), 
' "/I  ./!   -irrmrx'^  I»in;  .if  unrmr  Tv/i/^     ,«i;  I>:?f)nuoJ 


CHAPTER    IV.   ,^. 

J^  «*»  rriii5:  iiiil  '  ^Mvit-'/lrT^wT 

STRUGGLES    FOB   A   LIVELIHOOD. 

Lrjiinoa  •'//  iiitf  -mo  n;  b'lbtffo/ri  ^jiw^RWiioid  mo  gu  I:»i.rn 

PLEASURE  VISIT  TO  PHILADELPHIA  —  LIVING  IN  GRAND  STYLE  —  THE  BOTTOM 
OF  THE  PILE  —  BORROWING  MONEY  —  MY  MARRIAGE  —  RETURN  TO  BETHEL  — 
EAKLY  MARRIAGES — MORE  PRACTICAL  JOKING  —  SECOND  APPEARANCE  AS 
COUNSEL  — GOING  TO  HOUSEKEEPING  —  SELLING  BOOKS  AT  AUCTION— THE 

"YELLOW   STORE" — A  NEW  FIELD  —  "THE    HERALD    OF  FREEDOM"  —  MY 

EDITORIAL  CAREEU — LIBKL  SUITS  —  FINED  AND  IMPRISONED  —  LIFE  IN  THE 
DANBURY  JAIL  —  CELEBRATION  OF  MY  LIBERATION  —  POOR  BUSINESS  AND 
BAD  DEBTS  —  REMOVAL  TO  NEW  YORK -— SEEKING  MY  FORTUNE — "  WANTS ', 
IN  THE  "SUN"  — WM.  NIBLO  —  KEEPING  A  BOARDING-HOUSE  —  A  WHOLE 
SHIRT  ON  MY  BACK. 

-\  *  f  k  *t  r     f  f 

DURING  this  season  I  made  arrangements  with  Mr. 
Samuel  Sherwood,  of  Bridgeport,  to  go  on  an  exploring 
expedition  to  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  we  under 
stood  there  was  a  fine  opening  for  a  lottery  office  and 
where  we  meant  to  try  our  fortunes,  provided  the  pros 
pects  should  equal  our  expectations.  We  went  to  New 
York  where  I  had  an  interview  with  Mr.  Dudley  S. 
Gregory,  the  principal  business  man  of  Messrs.  Yates 
and  Mclntyre,  who  dissuaded  me  from  going  to  Pitts- 
burg,  and  offered  me  the  entire  lottery  agency  for  the 
State  of  Tennessee,  if  I  would  go  to  Nashville  and  open 
an  office,  The  offer  was  tempting,  but  the  distance 
was  too  far  from  a  certain  tailoress  in  Bethel. 

As  the  Pittsburg  trip  was  given  up,  Sherwood  and  I 
went  to  Philadelphia  for  a  pleasure  excursion  and  put 
up  at  Congress  Hall  in  Chestnut  Street  where  we  lived 
in  much  grander  style  than  we  had  been  accustomed  to. 
The  array  of  waiters  and  display  of  dishes  were  far 


60  STRUGGLES  FOR  A  LIVELIHOOD. 

ahead  of  our  former  experiences  and  for  a  week  we  lived 
in  clover.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  however,  when  we 
concluded  to  start  for  home,  the  amount  of  our  hotel 
bill  astounded  us.  After  paying  it  and  securing  tickets 
for  New  York,  our  combined  purses  showed  a  balance 
of  but  twenty-seven  cents. 

Twenty-five  cents  of  this  sum  went  to  the  boot-black, 
and  as  our  breakfast  was  included  in  our  bill  we  secured 
from  the  table  a  few  biscuits  for  our  dinner  on  the  way 
to  New  York. 

Arriving  in  New  York  we  carried  our  own  baggage 
to  Holt's  Hotel.  The  next  morning  Sherwood  obtained  a 
couple  of  dollars  from  a  friend,  and  went  to  Newark  and 
borrowed  fifty  dollars  from  his  cousin,  Dr.  Sherwood, 
loaning  me  one-half  the  sum.  After  a  few  days'  sojourn 
in  the  city  we  returned  home. 

During  our  stay  in  New  York,  I  derived  considerable 
information  from  the  city  managers  with  regard  to  the 
lottery  business,  and  thereafter  I  bought  my  tickets 
directly  from  the  Connecticut  lottery  managers  at  what 
was  termed  "  the  scheme  price,"  and  also  established 
agencies  throughout  the  country,  selling  considerable 
quantities  of  tickets  at  handsome  profits.  My  uncle, 
Alanson  Taylor,  joined  me  in  the  business,  and,  as  we 
sold  several  prizes,  my  office  came  to  be  considered 
;t  lucky,"  and  I  received  orders  from  all  parts  of  the 
country. 

During  this  time  I  kept  a  close  eye  upon  the  attract 
ive  'tailoress,  Charity  Halle tt,  and  in  the  summer  of 
1829  I  asked  her  hand  in  marriage.  My  suit  was 
accepted,  and  the  wedding  day  was  appointed ;  I,  mean 
while,  applying  myself  closely  to  business,  and  no  one 
but  the  parties  immediately  interested  suspecting  that 


STRUGGLES  FOE  A  LIVELIHOOD.  61 

the  event  was  so  near  at  hand.  Miss  Hallett  went  to 
New  York  in  October,  ostensibly  to  visit  her  uncle, 
Nathan  Beers,  who  resided  at  No.  3  Allen  Street.  I 
followed  in  November,  pressed  by  the  necessity  of  pur 
chasing  goods  for  my  store  ;  and  the  evening  after  my 
arrival,  November  8,  1829,  the  Rev.  Dr.  McAuley 
married  us  in  the  presence  of  sundry  friends  and  rela 
tives  of  my  wife,  and  I  became  the  husband  of  one  of 
the  best  women  in  the  world.  In  the  course  of  the 
week  we  went  back  to  Bethel  and  took  board  in  the 
family  where  Charity  Barnum  as  "  Chairy"  Hallett  had 
previously  resided. 

I  do  not  approve  or  recommend  early  marriages. 
The  minds  of  men  and  women  taking  so  important  a 
step  in  life  should  be  somewhat  matured,  and  hasty 
marriages,  especially  marriages  of  boys  and  girls,  have 
been  the  cause  of  untold  misery  in  many  instances.  But 
although  I  was  only  little  more  than  nineteen  years  old 
when  I  was  married,  I  have  always  felt  assured  that  if  I 
had  waited  twenty  years  longer  I  could  not  have  found 
another  woman  so  well  suited  to  my  disposition  and  so 
admirable  and  valuable  in  every  character  as  a  wife,  a 
mother,  and  a  friend. 

My  business  occupations  amply  employed  nearly  all 
my  time,  yet  so  strong  was  my  love  of  fun  that  when 
the  opporunity  for  a  practical  joke  presented  itself,  I 
could  not  resist  the  temptation.  On  one  occasion  I  ^ 
engaged  in  the  character  of  counsel  to  conduct  a  case 
for  an  Irish  peddler  whose  complaint  was  that  one  of 
our  neighbors  had  turned  him  out  of  his  house  and 
had  otherwise  abused  him. 

The  court  was  just  as  "real"  as  the  attorney,  —  no 
more,  —  and  consisted  of  three  judges,  one  a  mason, 


62  STRUGGLES  FOR  A  LIVELIHOOD. 

the  second  a  butcher,  and  the  third  an  old  gentleman  of 
leisure  who  was  an  ex-justice  of  the  peace.  The  consta 
ble  was  of  my  own  appointment,  and  my  "writ" 
arrested  the  culprit  who  had  turned  my  client  out  of 
house  and  home.  The  court  was  convened,  but  as  the 
culprit  did  not  appear,  and  as  it  seemed  necessary  that 
my  client  should  get  testimonials  as  to  his  personal 
character,  the  court  adjourned  nominally  for  one  week, 
the  client  consenting  to  "  stand  treat "  to  cover  imme 
diate  expenses. 

I  supposed  that  this  was  the  end  of  it.  But  at 
the  time  named  for  the  re-assembling  of  the  "  court," 
a  real  lawyer  from  Newtown  put  in  an  appearance. 
He  had  been  engaged  by  the  Irishman  to  assist  me  in 
conducting  the  case  !  I  saw  at  once  that  the  joke  was 
likely  to  prove  a  sorry  one,  and  immediately  notified  the 
members  of  the  "  court,"  who  were  quite  as  much 
alarmed  as  I  was  at  the  serious  turn  the  thing  had 
taken.  I  need  not  say  that  while  the  danger  threatened 
we  all  took  precious  good  care  to  keep  out  of  the  way. 
However,  the  affair  was  explained  to  Mr.  Belden,  the 
lawyer,  who  in  turn  set  forth  the  matter  to  the  client, 
but  not  in  such  a  manner  as  to  soothe  the  anger  so 
natural  under  the  circumstances  —  in  fact,  he  advised 
the  Irishman  to  get  out  of  the  place  as  soon  as  possible. 
The  Irishman  threatened  me  and  my  "  court "  with 
prosecution  —  a  threat  I  really  feared  he  would  carry 
into  execution,  but  which,  to  the  great  peace  of  mind 
of  myself  and  my  companions,  he  concluded  not  to 
follow  up.  Considering  the  vexation  and  annoyance  of 
this  Irishman,  it  was  a  mitigation  to  know  that  he  was 
the  party  in  the  wrong  and  that  he  really  deserved 
a  severer  punishment  than  my  practical  joke  had  put 
upon  him. 


STRUGGLES  FOR  A  LIVELIHOOD.  63 

In  the  winter  of  1829-30,  my  lottery  business  had  so 
extended  that  I  had  branch  offices  in  Danbury,  Nor- 
walk,  Stamford  and  Middletown,  as  well  as  agencies 
in  the  small  villages  for  thirty  miles  around  Bethel. 
I  had  also  purchased  from  my  grandfather  three 
acres  of  land  on  which  I  built  a  house  and  went  to 
housekeeping.  My  lottery  business,  which  was  with 
a  few  large  customers,  was  so  arranged  that  I  could 
safely  entrust  it  to  an  agent,  making  it  necessary 
for  me  to  find  some  other  field  for  my  individual 
enterprise. 

So  I  tried  my  hand  as  an  auctioneer  in  the  book 
trade.  I  bought  books  at  the  auctions  and  from  dealers 
and  publishers  in  New  York,  and  took  them  into  the 
country,  selling  them  at  auction  and  doing  tolerably 
well ;  only  at  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  where  there  was 
then  a  law  school.  At  Newburgh,  New  York,  several 
of  my  best  books  were  stolen,  and  I  quit  the  business 
in  disgust. 

In  July,  1831,  my  uncle,  Alanson  Taylor,  and  myself 
opened  a  country  store,  in  a  building,  which  I  had  put 
up  in  Bethel  in  the  previous  spring,  and  we  stocked  the 
"  yellow  store,"  as  it  was  called,  with  a  full  assortment 
of  groceries,  hardware,  crockery,  and  "  notions  " ;  but 
we  were  not  successful  in  the  enterprise,  and  in 
October  following,  I  bought  out  my  uncle's  interest  and 
'we  dissolved  partnership. 

About  this  time,  circumstances  partly  religious  and 
partly  political  in  their  character  led  me  into  still 
another  field  of  enterprise  which  honorably  opened  to 
me  that  notoriety  of  which  in  later  life  I  surely  have 
had  a  surfeit.  Considering  my  youth,  this  new  enter 
prise  reflected  credit  upon  my  ability,  as  well  as  energy. 


64  STRUGGLES  FOB  A  LIVELIHOOD. 

and  so  I  may  be  excused  if  I  now  recur  to  it  with  some 
thing  like  pride. 

In  a  period  of  strong  political  excitement,  I  wrote 
several  communications  for  the  Danbury  weekly  paper, 
setting  forth  what  I  conceived  to  be  the  dangers  of 
a  sectarian  interference  which  was  then  apparent  in 
political  affairs.  The  publication  of  these  communica 
tions  was  refused  and  I  accordingly  purchased  a  press 
and  types,  and  October  19,  1831,  I  issued  the  first 
number  of  my  own  paper,  The  Herald  of  Freedom. 

I  entered  upon  the  editorship  of  this  journal  with  all 
the  vigor  and  vehemence  of  youth.  The  boldness 
with  which  the  paper  was  conducted  soon  excited  wide 
spread  attention  and  commanded  a  circulation  which 
extended  beyond  the  immediate  locality  into  nearly 
every  State  in  the  Union.  But  lacking  that  experience 
which  induces  caution,  and  without  the  dread  of  conse 
quences,  I  frequently  laid  myself  open  to  the  charge  of 
libel  and  three  times  in  three  years  I  was  prosecuted. 
A  Danbury  butcher,  a  zealous  politician,  brought  a  civil 
suit  against  me  for  accusing  him  of  being  a  spy  in 
a  Democratic  caucus.  On  the  first  trial  the  jury  did 
not  agree,  but  after  a  second  trial  I  was  fined  several 
hundred  dollars.  Another  libel  suit  against  me  was 
withdrawn  and  need  not  be  mentioned  further.  The 
third  was  sufficiently  important  to  warrant  the  follow 
ing  detail :  v 

A  criminal  prosecution  was  brought  against  me  for 
stating  in  my  paper  that  a  man  in  Bethel,  prominent  in 
the  church,  had  "  been  guilty  of  taking  usury  of  an 
orphan  boy,"  and  for  severely  commenting  on  the  fact 
in  my  editorial  columns.  When  the  case  came  to  trial 
the  truth  of  my  statement  was  substantially  proved  by 


STRUGGLES  FOB  A  LIVELIHOOD.  65 

several  witnesses  and  even  by  the  prosecuting  party. 
But  "  the  greater  the  truth,  the  greater  the  libel,"  and 
then  I  had  used  the  term  "  usury,"  instead  of  extortion, 
or  note-shaving,  or  some  other  expression  which  might 
have  softened  the  verdict.  The  result  was  that  I  was 
sentenced  to  pay  a  fine  of  one  hundred  dollars  and 
to  be  imprisoned  in  the  common  jail  for  sixty  days. 

The  most  comfortable  provision  was  made  for  me  in 
Danbury  jail.  My  room  was  papered  and  carpeted  ;  I 
lived  well ;  I  was  overwhelmed  with  the  constant  visits 
of  my  friends ;  I  edited  my  paper  as  usual  and  received 
large  accessions  to  my  subscription  list ;  and  at  the 
end  of  my  sixty  days'  term  the  event  was  celebrated  by  a 
large  concourse  of  people  from  the  surrounding  country. 
The  court  room  in  which  I  was  convicted  was  the  scene 
of  the  celebration.  An  ode,  written  for  the  occasion, 
was  sung ;  an  eloquent  oration  on  the  freedom  of  the 
press  was  delivered ;  and  several  hundred  gentlemen 
afterwards  partook  of  a  sumptuous  dinner  followed 
by  appropriate  toasts  and  speeches.  Then  came 
the  triumphant  part  of  the  ceremonial,  which  was 
reported  in  my  paper  of  December  12,  1832,  as 
follows : 


"P.  T.  BARNUM  and  the  band  of  music  took  their  seats  in  a  coach  drawn  t>y 
six  horses,  which  had  been  prepared  for  the  occasion.  The  coach  was  preceded 
by  forty  horsemen,  and  a  marshal,  bearing  the  national  standard.  Immediately 
in  the  rear  of  the  coach  was  the  carriage  of  the  Orator  and  the  President  of  the 
day,  followed  by  the  Committee  of  Arrangements  and  sixty  .carriages  of  citizens, 
which  joined  in  escorting  the  editor  to  his  home  in  Bethel. 

"When  the  procession  commenced  its  march  amidst  the  roar  of  cannon,  three 
cheers  were  given  by  several  hundred  citizens  who  did  not  join  in  the  procession. 
The  band  of  music  continued  to  play  a  variety  of  national  airs  until  their  arrival 
in  Bethel,  (a  distance  of  three  miles,)  when  they  struck  up  the  beautiful  and 
appropriate  tune  of  '  Home,  Sweet  Home! '  After  giving  three  hearty  cheers,  the 
procession  returned  to  Danbury.  The  utmost  harmony  and  unanimity  of  feeling 
prevailed  throughout  the  day,  and  we  are  happy  to  add  that  no  accident  occurred 
to  mar  the  festivities  of  the  occasion." 


66  STRUGGLES  FOR  A  LIVELIHOOD. 

My  editorial  career  was  one  of  continual  contest.  I 
however  published  the  160th  number  of  The  Herald  of 
Freedom  in  Danbury.  November  5, 1834,  after  which  my 
brother-in-law,  John  W.  Amerman,  issued  the  paper  for 
me  at  Norwalk  till  the  following  year,  when  the 
Herald  was  sold  to  Mr.  George  Taylor. 

Meanwhile,  I  had  taken  Horace  Fairchild  into  partner 
ship  in  my  mercantile  business,  in  1831,  and  I  had  sold 
out  to  him  and  to  a  Mr.  Toucey,  in  1833,  they  forming  a 
partnership  under  the  firm  of  Fairchild  &  Co.  So  far 
as  I  was  concerned  my  store  was  not  a  success.  Ordi 
nary  trade  was  too  slow  for  me.  I  bought  largely  and  in 
order  to  sell  I  was  compelled  to  give  extensive  credits. 
Hence  I  had  an  accumulation  of  bad  debts  ;  and  my  old 
ledger  presents  a  long  series  of  accounts  balanced  by 
"  death,"  by  "  running  away,"  by  "  failing,"  and  by 
other  similarly  remunerative  returns.  I  had  expended 
money  as  freely  as  I  had  gained  it,  for  I  had  already 
learned  that  I  could  make  money  rapidly  and  in  large 
sums,  when  I  set  about  it  with  a  will,  and  hence  I  did 
not  realize  the  worth  of  what  I  seemed  to  gain  so 
readily.  I  looked  forward  to  a  future  of  saving  when  I 
should  see  the  need  of  accumulation. 

There  was  nothing  more  for  me  to  do  in  Bethel ;  and 
in  the  winter  of  1834-5,  I  removed  my  family  to  New 
York,  where  I  hired  a  house  in  Hudson  Street.  I  had  no 
pecuniary  resources,  excepting  such  as  might  be  derived 
from  debts  left  for  collection  with  my  agent  at  Bethel, 
and  I  went  to  the  metropolis  literally  to  seek  my  for 
tune.  I  hoped  to  secure  a  situation  in  some  mercantile 
house,  not  at  a  fixed  salary,  but  so  as  to  derive  such 
portion  of  the  profits  as  might  be  due  to  my  individual 
tact,  energy,  and  perseverance  in  the  interests  of  the 


STRUGGLES  FOK  A  LIVELIHOOD.  67 

business.  But  I  could  find  no  such  position;  my 
resources  began  to  fail ;  my  family  were  in  ill  health ;  I 
must  do  something  for  a  living ;  and  so  I  acted  as 
"  drummer "  to  several  concerns  which  allowed  me  a 
small  commission  on  sales  to  customers  of  my  introduc 
tion. 

Every  morning  I  used  to  look  at  r  the  "  wants  "  in  the 
Sun  for  something  that  would  suit  me ;  and  I  had  many 
a  wildgoose  chase  in  following  up  those  "  wants."  In 
some  instances  success  depended  upon  my  advancing 
from  three  hundred  to  five  hundred  dollars ;  in  other 
cases  a  new  patent  life-pill,  or  a  self-acting  mouse  trap 
was  to  make  my  fortune.  An  advertisement  announc 
ing  "  An  immense  speculation  on  a  small  capital ! 
$10,000  easily  made  in  one  year !  "  turned  out  to  be  an 
offer  of  Professor  Somebody  at  Scudder's  American 
Museum  to  sell  a  hydro-oxygen  microscope,  offered  to 
me  at  two  thousand  dollars  —  one  thousand  in  cash  and 
the  balance  in  sixty  and  ninety  days,  on  good  security,  — 
and  warranted  to  secure  an  independence  after  a  short 
public  exhibition  through  the  country.  If  I  had  the 
desire  to  undertake  this  exhibition  and  experiment,  I 
had  not  the  capital.  Other  and  many  similar  tempta 
tions  were  extended,  but  none  of  them  seemed  to  open 
the  door  of  fortune  to  me. 

The  advertisement  in  the  Sun,  of  Mr.  William  Niblo, 
of  Niblo's  Garden,  for  a  barkeeper  first  brought  me  in 
contact  with  that  gentlemanly  and  justly-popular  pro 
prietor.  He  wanted  a  well-recommended,  well-behaved, 
trustworthy  man  to  fill  a  vacant  situation,  but  as  he 
wished  him  to  bind  himself  to  remain  three  years,  I, 
who  was  only  seeking  the  means  of  temporary  support, 
was  precluded  from  accepting  the  position. 


68  STRUGGLES  FOE  A  LIVELIHOOD. 

Nor  did  all  my  efforts  secure  a  situation  for  me 
during  the  whole  winter ;  but,  in  the  spring,  I  received 
several  hundred  dollars  from  my  agent  in  Bethel,  and 
finding  no  better  business,  May  1,  1835,  I  opened 
a  small  private  boarding-house  at  No.  52  Frankfort 
Street.  We  soon  had  a  very  good  run  of  custom  from 
our  Connecticut  acquaintances  who  had  occasion  to 
visit  New  York,  and  as  this  business  did  not  sufficiently 
occupy  my  time,  I  bought  an  interest  with  Mr.  John 
Moody  in  a  grocery  store,  No.  156  South  Street. 

Although  the  years  of  manhood  brought  cares, 
anxieties,  and  struggles  for  a  livelihood,  they  did  not 
change  my  nature  and  the  jocose  element  was  still 
an  essential  ingredient  of  my  being.  I  loved  fun, 
practical  fun,  for  itself  and  for  the  enjoyment  which  it 
brought.  During  the  year,  I  occasionally  visited 
Bridgeport  where  I  almost  always  found  at  the  hotel  a 
noted  joker,  named  Darrow,  who  spared  neither  friend 
nor  foe  in  his  tricks.  He  was  the  life  of  the  bar-room 
and  would  always  try  to  entrap  some  stranger  in 
a  bet  and  so  win  a  treat  for  the  company.  He  made 
several  ineffectual  attempts  upon  me,  and  at  last,  one 
evening,  Darrow,  who  stuttered,  made  a  final  trial 
as  follows :  "  Come,  Barnum,  I  '11  make  you  another 
proposition  ;  I'll  bet  you  hain't  got  a  whole  shirt 
on  your  back."  The  catch  consists  in  the  fact  that 
generally  only  one-half  of  that  convenient  garment  is 
on  the  back ;  but  I  had  anticipated  the  proposition  — 
in  fact  I  had  induced  a  friend,  Mr.  Hough,  to  put 
Darrow  up  to  the  trick,  —  and  had  folded  a  shirt  nicely 
upon  my  back,  securing  it  there  with  my  suspenders. 
The  barroom  was  crowded  with  customers  who  thought 
that  if  I  made  the  bet  I  should  be  nicely  caught,  and  I 


STRUGGLES  FOB  A  LIVELIHOOD.  69 

made  pretence  of  playing  off  and  at  the  same  time 
stimulated  Darrow  to  press  the  bet  by  saying : 

"  That  is  a  foolish  bet  to  make ;  I  am  sure  my  shirt 
is  whole  because  it  is  nearly  new ;  but  I  do  n't  like  to 
bet  on  such  a  subject." 

"A  good  reason  why,"  said  Darrow,  in  great  glee;/ 
"  it's  ragged.  Come,  I'll  bet  you  a  treat  for  the  whole 
company  you  hain't  got  a  whole  shirt  on  your  b-b-b- 
back ! " 

"  I'll  bet  my  shirt  is  cleaner  than  yours,"  I  replied. 

"  That's  nothing  to  do  w-w-with  the  case ;  it's  ragged, 
and  y-y-you  know  it." 

"  I  know  it  is  not,"  I  replied,  with  pretended  anger, 
which  caused  the  crowd  to  laugh  heartily. 

"You  poor  ragged  f-f-fellow,  come  down  here  from 
D-D-Danbury,  I'm  sorry  for  you,"  said  Darrow  tantaliz- 
ingly. 

"  You  would  not  pay  if  you  lost,"  I  remarked. 

"  Here's  f-f-five  dollars  I'll  put  in  Captain  Hinman's 
(the  landlord's)  hands.  Now  b-b-bet  if  you  dare,  you 
ragged  c-c-creature,  you." 

I  put  five  dollars  in  Captain  Hinman's  hands,  and 
told  him  to  treat  the  company  from  it  if  I  lost  the  bet. 

"  E-e member,"  said  Darrow,  "  I  b-b-bet  you  hain't  got 
a  whole  shirt  on  your  b-b-back !  " 

"  All  right,"  said  I,  taking  off  my  coat  and  com 
mencing  to  unbutton  my  vest.  The  whole  company, 
feeling  sure  that  I  was  caught,  began  to  laugh  heartily. 
Old  Darrow  fairly  danced  with  delight,  and  as  I  laid 
my  coat  on  a  chair  he  came  running  up  in  front  of  me, 
and  slapping  his  hands  together,  exclaimed : 

"  You  need  n't  t-t-take  off  any  more  c-c-c-clothes,  for 
if  it  ain't  all  on  your  b-b-back,  you  Ve  lost  it." 


70  STRUGGLES  FOE  A  LIVELIHOOD. 

"  If  it  is,  I  suppose  you  have ! "  I  replied,  pulling 
the  whole  shirt  from  off  my  back  ! 

Such  a  shriek  of  laughter  as  burst  forth  from  the 
crowd  I  scarcely  ever  heard,  and  certainly  such  a  blank 
countenance  as  old  D arrow  exhibited  it  would  be  hard 
to  conceive.  Seeing  that  he  was  most  incontinently 
"  done  for,"  and  perceiving  that  his  neighbor  Hough 
had  helped  to  do  it,  he  ran  up  to  him  in  great  anger, 
and  shaking  his  fist  in  his  face,  exclaimed : 

"  H-H-Hough,  you  infernal  r-r-rascal,  to  go  against 
your  own  n-n-neighbor  in  favor  of  a  D-D-Danbury  man. 
I'll  pay  you  for  that  some  time,  you  see  if  I  d-d-do  n't." 

All  hands  went  up  to  the  bar  and  drank  with  a 
hearty  good  will,  for  it  was  seldom  that  Darrow  got 
taken  in,  and  he  was  such  an  inveterate  joker  they  liked 
to  see  him  paid  in  his  own  coin.  Never  till  the  day 
of  his  death  did  he  hear  the  last  of  the  "  whole 
shirt." 


Hew  a^nitq 
•)  jHiw  oa 


C  H  A  P  T  E  R  V. 

j  ;;,     >    ym?2    r'j'£IW>)8    III    SO    JHU^a   10iI7(*>Josr£te  -.  /*> 

MY  STABT  AS  A  SHOWMAN. 

THE  AMUSEMENT  BUSINESS  —  DIFFERENT  GRADES  —  CATERING  FOR  THE  PUBLIC  — 
MY  CLAIMS,  AIMS  AND  EFFORTS  —  JOICE  HETH  —  APPARENT  GENUINENESS  OF 
HER  VOUCHERS  —  BEGINNING  LIFE  AS  A  SHOWMAN  —  SUCCESS  OF  MY  FIRST  EX 
HIBITION  —  SECOND  STEP  IN  THE  SHOW  LINE  —  SIGNOR  VI  VALLA  —  MY  FIRST 
APPEARANCE  ON  ANY  STAGE  —  AT  WASHINGTON  —  ANNE  ROYALL  —STIMULAT 
ING  THE  PUBLIC  —  CONTESTS  BETWEEN  VIVALLA  AND  ROBERTS  —  EXCITEMENT 
AT  FEVER  HEAT  —  CONNECTING  MYSELF  WITH  A  CIRCUS  —  BREAD  AND  BUTTER 
DINNER  FOR  THE  WHOLE  COMPANY  —  NARROW  ESCAPE  FROM  SUFFOCATION  — 
LECTURING  AN  ABUSIVE  CLERGYMAN  —  AARON  TURNER  —  A  TERRIBLE  PRACTI 
CAL  JOKE  —I  AM  REPRESENTED  TO  BE  A  MURDERER—  RAILS  AND  LYNCH  LAW  — 
NOVEL  MEANS  FOR  SECURING  NOTORIETY. 

BY  this  time  it  was  clear  to  my  mind  that  my  proper 
position  in  this  busy  world  was  not  yet  reached.  I  had 
displayed  the  faculty  of  getting  money,  as  well  as  get 
ting  rid  of  it  ;  but  the  business  for  which  I  was  des 
tined,  and,  I  believe,  made,  had  not  yet  come  to  me;  or 
rather,  I  had  not  found  that  I  was  to  cater  for  that  insa 
tiate  want  of  human  nature  —  the  love  of  amusement  ; 
that  I  was  to  make  a  sensation  on  two  continents  ;  and 
that  fame  and  fortune  awaited  me  so  soon  as  I  should 
appear  before  the  public  in  the  character  of  a  showman. 
These  things  I  had  not  foreseen.  I  did  not  seek  the 
position  or  the  character.  The  business  finally  came  in 
my  way  ;  I  fell  into  the  occupation,  and  far  beyond  any 
of  my  predecessors  on  this  continent,  I  have  succeeded. 

The  shoW  business  has  all  phases  and  grades  of  dig 
nity,  from  the  exhibition  of  a  monkey  to  the  exposition 
of  that  highest  art  in  music  or  the  drama,  which  en 
trances  empires  and  secures  for  the  gifted  artist  a 


72  MY  STAKT  AS  A  SHOWMAN. 

world- wide  fame  which  princes  well  might  envy.  Such 
art  is  merchantable,  and  so  with  the  whole  range  of 
amusements,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest.  The  old 
word  "trade"  as  it  applies  to  buying  cheap  and  selling 
at  a  profit,  is  as  manifest  here  as  it  is  in  the  dealings  at 
a  street-corner  stand  or  in  Stewart's  store  covering  a 
whole  square.  This  is  a  trading  world,  and  men,  women 
and  children,  who  cannot  live  on  gravity  alone,  need 
something  to  satisfy  their  gayer,  lighter  moods  and 
hours,  and  he  who  ministers  to  this  want  is  in  a  busi 
ness  established  by  the  Author  of  our  nature.  If  he 
worthily  fulfils  his  mission,  and  amuses  without  corrupt 
ing,  he  need  never  feel  that  he  has  lived  in  vain. 

Whether  I  may  claim  a  pre-eminence  of  grandeur  in 
my  career  as  a  dispenser  of  entertainment  for  mankind, 
I  may  not  say.  I  have  sometimes  been  weak  enough 
to  think  so,  but  let  others  judge ;  and  whether  I  may 
assume  that  on  the  whole,  I  have  sought  to  make 
amusement  harmless,  and  have  succeeded  to  a  very 
great  degree,  in  eliminating  from  public  entertainments 
certain  corruptions  which  have  made  so  many  theatrical 
"  sensations  "  positively  shameful,  may  safely  be  left,  I 
think,  to  the  thousands  upon  thousands  who  have  known 
me  and  the  character  of  my  amusement  so  long  and  so 
well. 

But  I  shall  by  no  means  claim  entire  faultlessness  in 
my  history  as  a  showman.  I  confess  that  I  have  not 
always  been  strong  enough  to  rise  out  of  the  exceptional 
ways  which  characterize  the  art  of  amusing  —  not  more, 
however,  than  any  other  art  of  trade.  When,  in  begin 
ning  business  under  my  own  name  in  Bethel,  in  1831, 
I  advertised  that  I  would  sell  goods  "25  per  cent 
cheaper  "  than  any  of  my  neighbors,  I  was  guilty  of  a 


MY  START  AS  A  SHOWMAN.  73 

trick  of  trade,  but  so  common  a  trick,  that  very  few 
who  saw  my  promise  were  struck  with  a  sense  of  any 
particular  enormity  therein,  while,  doubtless,  a  good 
many,  who  claim  to  be  specially  exemplary,  thought  they 
were  reading  one  of  their  own  advertisements.  And 
in  the  show  business  I  was  never  guilty  of  a  greater  sin 
than  this  against  truthfulness  and  fair  dealing. 

The  least  deserving  of  all  my  efforts  in  the  show  line 
was  the  one  which  introduced  me  to  the  business ;  a 
scheme  in  no  sense  of  my  own  devising ;  one  which 
had  been  sometime  before  the  public  and  which  had  so 
many  vouchers  for  its  genuineness  that  at  the  time  of 
taking  possession  of  it  I  honestly  believed  it  to  be 
genuine ;  something,  too,  which,  as  I  have  said,  I  did 
not  seek,  but  which  by  accident  came  in  my  way  and 
seemed  almost  to  compel  my  agency  —  such  was  the 
"  Joice  Heth "  exhibition  which  first  brought  me  for 
ward  as  a  showman. 

In  the  summer  of  1835,  Mr.  Coley  Bartram,  of  Read 
ing,  Connecticut,  informed  me  that  he  had  owned  an 
interest  in  a  remarkable  negro  woman  whom  he  believed 
to  be  one  hundred  and  sixty-one  years  old,  and  whom  he 
also  believed  to  have  been  the  nurse  of  General  Wash 
ington.  He  then  showed  me  a  copy  of  the  following 
advertisement  in  the  Pennsylvania  Inquirer ',  of  July  15, 

835  :    •;ild"\ffo 

r        ..  4      •  r.-  fV          r         f      rtfifv     i~»3      'jj*'*!''-      '•      •'' 

CFBIOSITY.  —  The  citizens  of  Philadelphia  and  its  vicinity  have  an  opportunity  ot 
witnessing  at  the  Masonic  Hall,  one  of  the  greatest  natural  curiosities  ever  wit 
nessed,  viz:  JOICE  HETH,  a  negress,  aged  1G1  years,  who  formerly  belonged  to  the 
father  of  General  Washington.  She  has  been  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church 
one  hundred  and  sixteen  years,  and  can  rehearse  many  hy~nns,  and  sing  them 
according  to  former  custom.  She  was  born  near  the  old  Potomac  Kiver  in 
Virginia,. aivd  has  for  ninety  or  one  hundred  jrears  lived  in  Paris,  Kentucky,  with 
the  Bowling  family. 

All  who  have  seen  this  extraordinary  woman  are  satisfied  of  the  truth  of  the 
account  of  her  age.  The  evidence  of  the  Bowling  family,  which  is  respectable,  is 


74  MY  STABT  AS  A  SHOWMAN. 

strong,  but  the  original  bill  of  sale  of  Augustine  Washington,  in  his  own  handv 
writing,  and  other  evidences  which  the  proprietor  has  in  his  possession,  will  satisfy 
even  the  most  incredulous. 

A  lady  will  attend  at  the  hall  during  the  afternoon  and  evening  for  the  accom 
modation  of  those  ladies  who  may  call. 

Mr.  Bartram  further  stated  that  he  had  sold  out  his 
interest  to  his  partner,  R.  W.  Lindsay,  of  Jefferson 
County,  Kentucky,  who  was  then  exhibiting  Joice  Heth 
in  Philadelphia,  but  was  anxious  to  sell  out  and 
go  home  —  the  alleged  reason  being  that  he  had  very 
little  tact  as  a  showman.  As  the  New  York  papers  had 
also  contained  some  account  of  Joice  Heth,  I  went  on 
to  Philadelphia  to  see  Mr.  Lindsay  and  his  exhibition. 

Joice  Heth  was  certainly  a  remarkable  curiosity,  and 
she  looked  as  if  she  might  have  been  far  older  than 
her  age  as  advertised.  She  was  apparently  in  good 
health  and  spirits,  but  from  age  or  disease,  or  both, 
was  unable  to  change  her  position ;  she  could  move 
one  arm  at  will,  but  her  lower  limbs  could  not  be 
straightened ;  her  left  arm  lay  across  her  breast  and  she 
could  not  remove  it ;  the  fingers  of  her  left  hand  were 
drawn  down  so  as  nearly  to  close  it,  and  were  fixed ;  the 
nails  on  that  hand  were  almost  four  inches  long 
and  extended  above  her  wrist ;  the  nails  on  her  large 
toes  had  grown  to  the  thickness  of  a  quarter  of  an 
inch ;  her  head  was  covered  with  a  thick  bush  of  grey 
hair;  but  she  was  toothless  and  totally  blind  and 
her  eyes  had  sunk  so  deeply  in  the  sockets  as  to  have 
disappeared  altogether. 

Nevertheless  she  was  pert  and  sociable,  and  would 
talk  as  long  as  people  would  converse  with  her.  She 
was  quite  garrulous  about  her  protege  "  dear  little 
George,"  at  whose  birth  she  declared  she  was  present, 
having  been  at  the  time  a  slave  of  Elizabeth  Atwood,  a 


MY  START  AS  A  SHOWMAN.  75 

half-sister  of  Augustine  Washington,  the  father  of 
George  Washington.  As  nurse  she  put  the  first 
clothes  on  the  infant  and  she  claimed  to  have  "  raised 
him."  She  professed  to  be  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church,  talking  much  in  her  way  on  religious  subjects, 
and  she  sang  a  variety  of  ancient  hymns. 

In  proof  of  her  extraordinary  age  and  pretensions, 
Mr.  Lindsay  exhibited  a  bill  of  sale,  dated  February  5, 
1727,  from  Augustine  Washington,  County  of  West 
moreland,  Virginia,  to  Elizabeth  Atwood,  a  half-sister 
and  neighbor  of  Mr.  Washington,  conveying  "  one 
negro  woman,  named  Joice  Heth,  aged  fifty-four  years, 
for  and  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  thirty- three 
pounds  lawful  money  of  Virginia."  It  was  further 
claimed  that  as  she  had  long  been  a  nurse  in  the 
Washington  family  she  was  called  in  at  the  birth  of 
George  and  clothed  the  new-born  infant.  The  evi 
dence  seemed  authentic  and  in  answer  to  the  inquiry 
why  so  remarkable  a  discovery  had  not  been  made 
before,  a  satisfactory  explanation  was  given  in  the 
statement  that  she  had  been  carried  from  Virginia 
to  Kentucky,  had  been  on  the  plantation  of  John 
S.  Bowling  so  long  that  no  one  knew  or  cared  how  old 
she  was,  and  only  recently  the  accidental  discovery 
by  Mr.  Bowling's  son  of  the  old  bill  of  sale  in  the 
Record  Office  in  Virginia  had  led  to  the  identification 
of  this  negro  woman  as  "  the  nurse  of  Washington." 

Everything  seemed  so  straightforward  that  I  was 
anxious  to  become  proprietor  of  this  novel  exhibition, 
which  was  offered  to  me  at  one  thousand  dollars, 
though  the  price  first  demanded  was  three  thousand.  I 
had  five  hundred  dollars,  borrowed  five  hundred  dollars 
more,  sold  out  my  interest  in  the  grocery  business  to  my 


76  MY  START  AS  A  SHOWMAN. 

partner,  and  began  life  as  a  showman.  At  the  outset 
of  my  career  I  saw  that  everything  depended  upon 
getting  people  to  think,  and  talk,  and  become  curious 
and  excited  over  and  about  the  "  rare  spectacle." 
Accordingly,  posters,  transparencies,  advertisements, 
newspaper  paragraphs  —  all  calculated  to  extort  atten 
tion —  were  employed,  regardless  of  expense.  My 
exhibition  rooms  in  New  York,  Boston,  Philadelphia, 
Albany  and  in  other  large  and  small  cities,  were 
continually  thronged  and  much  money  was  made.  In 
the  following  February,  Joice  Ileth  died,  literally  of  old 
age,  and  her  remains  received  a  respectable  burial  in 
the  town  of  Bethel. 

At  a  post-mortem  examination  of  Joice  Heth  by  Dr. 
David  L.  Rogers,  in  the  presence  of  some  medical 
students,  it  was  thought  that  the  absence  of  ossification 
indicated  considerably  less  age  than  had  been  assumed 
for  her;  but  the  doctors  disagreed,  and  this  "dark 
subject"  will  probably  always  continue  to  be  shrouded  in 
mystery. 

I  had  at  last  found  my  true  vocation.  Indeed, 
soon  after  I  began  to  exhibit  Joice  Heth,  I  had 
entrusted  her  to  an  agent  and  had  entered  upon 
my  second  step  in  the  show  line.  The  next  venture, 
whatever  it  may  have  been  in  other  respects,  had  the 
merit  of  being,  in  every  essential,  unmistakably 
genuine.  I  engaged  from  the  Albany  Museum  an 
Italian  who  called  himself  "  Signer  Antonio  "  and  who 
performed  ccitain  remarkable  feats  of  balancing,  stilt- 
walking,  plate-spinning,  etc.  He  had  gone  from 
England  to  Canada,  and  thence  to  Albany,  and 
had  performed  in  other  American  cities.  I  made  terms 
with  him  for  one  year  to  exhibit  anywhere  in  the 

. !   )   i/JOr. 


MY  STAKT  AS  A  SHOWMAN.  77 

United  States  at  twelve  dollars  a  week  and  expenses, 
and  induced  him  to  change  his  stage  name  to  "  Signor 
Vivalla."  I  then  wrote  a  notice  of  his  wonderful 
qualities  and  performances,  printed  it  in  one  of  the 
Albany  papers  as  news,  sent  copies  to  the  theatrical 
managers  in  New  York  and  in  other  cities,  and  went 
with  Vivalla  to  the  metropolis. 

Manager  William  Dinneford,  of  the  Franklin  Theatre, 
had  seen  so  many  performances  of  the  kind  that  he 
declined  to  engage  my  "  eminent  Italian  artist"  ;  but  I 
persuaded  him  to  try  Vivalla  one  night  for  nothing  and 
by  the  potent  aid  of  printer's  ink  the  house  was  crammed. 
I  appeared  as  a  supernumerary  to  assist  Vivalla  in  arrang 
ing  his  plates  and  other  "  properties  "  ;  and  to  hand  him 
his  gun  to  fire  while  he  was  hopping  on  one  stilt  ten  feet 
high.  This  was  "  my  first  appearance  on  any  stage." 
The  applause  which  followed  Vivalla's  feats  was  tremen 
dous,  and  Manager  Dinneford  was  so  delighted  that  he 
engaged  him  for  the  remainder  of  the  week  at  fifty 
dollars.  At  the  close  of  the  performance,  in  response 
to  a  call  from  the  house,  I  made  a  speech  for  Vivalla, 
thanking  the  audience  for  their  appreciation  and  an 
nouncing  a  repetition  of  the  exhibition  every  evening 
during  the  week. 

Vivalla  remained  a  second  week  at  the  Franklin 
Theatre,  for  which  I  received  $150.  I  realized  the 
same  sum  for  a  week  in  Boston.  We  then  went  to 
Washington  to  fulfil  an  engagement  which  was  far  from 
successful,  since  my  remuneration  depended  upon  the 
receipts,  and  it  snowed  continually  during  the  week.  I 
was  a  loser  to  such  an  extent  that  I  had  not  funds 
enough  to  return  to  Philadelphia.  I  pawned  my  watch 
and  chain  for  thirty-five  dollars,  when  fortunately 


78  MY  STABT  AS  A  SHOWMAN. 

Manager  Wemyss  arrived  on  Saturday  morning  and 
loaned  me  the  money  to  redeem  my  property. 

As  this  was  my  first  visit  to  Washington  I  was  much 
interested  in  visiting  the  capitol  and  other  public  build 
ings.  I  also  satisfied  my  curiosity  in  seeing  Clay,  Cal- 
houn,  Benton,  John  Quincy  Adams,  Eichard  M.  Johnson, 
Polk,  and  other  leading  statesmen  of  the  time.  I  was 
also  greatly  gratified  in  calling  upon  Anne  Roy  all,  author 
of  the  Black  Book,  publisher  of  a  little  paper  called 
"  Paul  Pry,"  and  quite  a  celebrated  personage  in  her 
day.  I  had  exchanged  The  Herald  of  Freedom  with  her 
journal  and  she  strongly  sympathized  with  me  in  my 
persecutions.  She  was  delighted  to  see  me  and  although 
she  was  the  most  garrulous  old  woman  I  ever  saw,  I 
passed  a  very  amusing  and  pleasant  time  with  her. 
Before  leaving  her,  I  manifested  my  showman  propen 
sity  by  trying  to  hire  her  to  give  a  dozen  or  more  lec 
tures  on  "  Government,"  in  the  Atlantic  cities,  but  I 
could  not  engage  her  at  any  price,  although  I  am  sure 
the  speculation  would  have  been  a  very  profitable  one. 
I  never  saw  this  eccentric  woman  again  ;  she  died  at  a 
very  advanced  age,  October  1,  1854,  at  her  residence  in 
Washington. 

I  went  with  Vivalla  to  Philadelphia  and  opened  at 
the  Walnut  Street  Theatre.  Though  his  performances 
were  very  meritorious  and  were  well  received,  theatri 
cals  were  dull  and  houses  were  slim.  It  was  evident 
that  something  must  be  done  to  stimulate  the  public. 

And  now  that  instinct  —  I  think  it  must  be  —  which 
can  arouse  a  community  and  make  it  patronize,  pro 
vided  the  article  offered  is  worthy  of  patronage  —  an 
instinct  which  served  me  strangely  in  later  years,  aston 
ishing  the  public  and  surprising  me,  came  to  my  relief, 


*   MY  STAKE  AS  A  SHOWMAN.  79 

and  the  help,  curiously  enough,  appeared  in  the  shape 
of  an  emphatic  hiss  from  the  pit ! 

This  hiss,  I  discovered,  came  from  one  Eoberts,  a  cir 
cus  performer,  and  I  had  an  interview  with  him.  He 
was  a  professional  balancer  and  juggler,  who  boasted 
that  he  could  do  all  Vivalla  had  done  and  something  more. 
1  at  once  published  a  card  in  Vivalla's  name,  offering 
$1000  to  any  one  who  would  publicly  perform  Vi valla's 
feats  at  such  place  as  should  be  designated,  and  Roberts 
issued  a  counter  card,  accepting  the  offer.  I  then  con 
tracted  with  Mr.  Warren,  treasurer  of  the  Walnut  St. 
Theatre,  for  one-third  of  the  proceeds,  if  I  should 
kring  the  receipts  up  to  $400  a  night  —  an  agree 
ment  he  could  well  afford  to  make  as  his  receipts  the 
night  before  had  been  but  seventy-five  dollars.  From 
him  I  went  to  Roberts,  who  seemed  disposed  to  "  back 
down,"  but  I  told  him  I  should  not  insist  upon  the 
terms  of  his  published  card,  and  asked  him  if  he  was 
under  any  engagement?  Learning  that  he  was  not,  I 
offered  him  thirty  dollars  to  perform  under  my  direction 
one  night  at  the  Walnut,  and  he  accepted.  A  great  trial 
of  skill  between  Roberts  and  Vivalla  was  duly  announced 
by  posters  and  through  the  press.  Meanwhile,  they 
rehearsed  privately  to  see  what  tricks  each  could  per 
form,  and  the  "business"  was  completely  arranged. 

Public  excitement  was  at  fever  heat,  and  on  the  night 
of  the  trial  the  pit  and  upper  boxes  were  crowded  to 
the  full ;  indeed  sales  of  tickets  to  these  localities  were 
soon  stopped,  for  there  were  no  seats  to  sell.  The 
"  contest"  between  the  performers,  was  eager  and  each 
had  his  party  in  the  house.  So  far  as  I  could  learn, 
no  one  complained  that  he  did  not  get  all  he  paid 
for  on  that  occasion.  I  engaged  Roberts  for  a  month 


80  MY  START  AS  A  SHOWMAN. 

and  his  subsequent  "  contests  "  with  Vi valla  amused  the 
public  and  put  money  in  my  purse. 

Vivalla  continued  to  perform  for  me  in  various  places, 
including  Peale's  Museum,  in  New  York,  and  I  took 
him  to  different  towns  in  Connecticut  and  in  New 
Jersey,  with  poor  success  sometimes,  as  frequently  the 
expenses  exceeded  the  receipts. 

In  April,  1836,  I  connected  myself  with  Aaron 
Turner's  travelling  circus  company  as  ticket-seller, 
secretary  and  treasurer,  at  thirty  dollars  a  month  and 
one-fifth  of  the  entire  profits,  while  Vivalla  was  to 
receive  a  salary  of  fifty  dollars.  As  I  was  already  pay 
ing  him  eighty  dollars  a  month,  our  joint  salaries 
reimbursed  me  and  left  me  the  chance  of  twenty  per 
cent  of  the  net  receipts.  We  started  from  D anbury  for 
West  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  April  26th,  and  on 
the  first  day,  instead  of  halting  to  dine,  as  I  expected, 
Mr.  Turner  regaled  the  whole  company  with  three  loaves 
of  rye  bread  and  a  pound  of  butter,  bought  at  a  farm 
house  at  a  cost  of  fifty  cents,  and,  after  watering  the 
horses,  we  went  on  our  way. 

We  began  our  performances  at  West  Springfield, 
April  28th,  and  as  our  expected  band  of  music  had  not 
arrived  from  Providence,  I  made  a  prefatory  speech 
announcing  our  disappointment,  and  our  intention 
to  please  our  patrons,  nevertheless.  The  two  Turner 
boys,  sons  of  the  proprietor,  rode  finely.  Joe  Pent- 
land,  one  of  the  wittiest,  best,  and  most  original  of 
clowns,  with  Vivalla's  tricks  and  other  performances  in 
the  ring,  more  than  made  up  for  the  lack  of  music.  In 
a  day  or  two  our  band  arrived  arid  our  " houses" 
improved.  My  diary  is  full  of  incidents  of  our  sum 
mer  tour  through  numerous  villages,  towns,  and  cities 


MY  STAUT  AS  A  SHOWMAN.  81 

in  New  England,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsyl 
vania,  Delaware,  Maryland,  District  of  Columbia, 
Virginia,  and  North  Carolina. 

While  we  were  at  Cabotville,  Massachusetts,  on  going 
to  bed  one  night  one  of  my  room-mates  threw  a  lighted 
stump  of  a  cigar  into  a  spit-box  filled  with  sawdust 
and  the  result  was  that  about  one  o'clock  T.  V.  Turner, 
who  slept  in  the  room,  awoke  in  the  midst  of  a  dense 
smoke  and  barely  managed  to  crawl  to  the  window  to 
open  it,  and  to  awaken  us  in  time  to  save  us  from  suf 
focation 

At  Lenox,  Massachusetts,  one  Sunday  I  attended 
church  as  usual,  and  the  preacher  denounced  our  circus 
and  all  connected  with  it  as  immoral,  and  was  very 
abusive;  whereupon  when  he  had  read  the  closing 
hymn  I  walked  up  the  pulpit  stairs  and  handed  him  a 
written  request,  signed  UP.  T.  Barnum,  connected 
with  the  circus,  June  5,  1836,"  to  be  permitted  to  reply 
to  him.  He  declined  to  notice  it,  and  after  the  benedic 
tion  I  lectured  him  for  not  giving  me  an  opportunity 
to  vindicate  myself  and  those  with  whom  I  was  con 
nected.  Tbe  affair  created  considerable  excitement 
and  some  of  the  members  of  the  church  apologized  to 
me  for  their  clergyman's  ill-behavior.  A  similar  affair 
happened  afterwards  at  Port  Deposit,  on  the  lower  Sus- 
quehanna;  and  in  this  instance  I  addressed  the  audience 
for  half  an  hour,  defending  the  circus  company  against 
the  attacks  of  the  clergyman,  and  the  people  listened, 
though  their  pastor  repeatedly  implored  them  to  go 
home.  Often  have  I  collected  our  company  on  Sunday 
and  read  to  them  the  Bible  or  a  printed  sermon,  and 
one  or  more  of  the  men  frequently  accompanied  me  to 
church.  We  made  no  pretence  of  religion,  but  we 
4* 


82  MY  STAET  AS  A  SHOWMAN. 

were  not  the  worst  people  in  the  world,  and  we  thought 
ourselves  entitled  to  at  least  decent  treatment  when  we 
went  to  hear  the  preaching  of  the  gospel. 

The  proprietor  of  the  circus,  Aaron  Turner,  was  a 
self-made  man,  who  had  acquired  a  large  fortune  by  his 
industry.  He  believed  that  any  man  with  health  and 
common  sense  could  become  rich  if  he  only  resolved  to 
be  so,  and  he  was  very  proud  of  the  fact  that  he  began 
the  world  with  no  advantages,  no  education,  and  with 
out  a  shilling.  Withal,  he  was  a  practical  joker,  as  I 
more  than  once  discovered  to  my  cost.  While  we  were 
at  Annapolis,  Maryland,  he  played  a  trick  upon  me 
which  was  fun  to  him,  but  was  very  nearly  death  to  me. 

We  arrived  on  Saturday  night  and  as  I  felt  quite 
"  flush  "  I  bought  a  fine  suit  of  black  clothes.  On  Sun 
day  morning  I  dressed  myself  in  my  new  suit  and  started 
out  for  a  stroll.  While  passing  through  the  bar-room 
Turner  called  the  attention  of  the  company  present  to 
me  and  said  : 

"  I  think  it  very  singular  you  permit  that  rascal  to 
march  your  streets  in  open  day.  It  would  n't  be 
allowed  in  Rhode  Island,  and  I  suppose  that  is  the  rea 
son  the  black-coated  scoundrel  has  come  down  this 
way."  jrjg. 

"  Why,  who  is  he  ? "  asked  half  a  dozen  at  once. 

"Do  n't  you  know?  Why  that  is  the  Kev.  E.  K. 
Avery,  the  murderer  of  Miss  Cornell !  " 

"  Is  it  possible  !  "  they  exclaimed,  all  starting  for  the 
door,  eager  to  get  a  look  at  me,  and  swearing  vengeance. 

It  was  only  recently  that  the  Rev.  Ephraim  K. 
Avery  had  been  tried  in  Ehode  Island  for  the  murder  of 
Miss  Cornell,  whose  body  was  discovered  in  a  stack 
yard,  and  though  Avery  was  acquitted  in  court,  the  gen- 


MY  STABT  AS  A  SHOWMAN.  83 

eral  sentiment  of  the  country  condemned  him.  It  was 
this  Avery  whom  Turner  made  me  represent.  I  had 
not  walked  far  in  my  fine  clothes,  before  I  was  over 
taken  by  a  mob  of  a  dozen,  which  rapidly  increased  to 
at  least  a  hundred,  and  my  ears  were  suddenly  saluted 
with  such  observations  as,  "  the  lecherous  old  hypo 
crite,"  "  the  sanctified  murderer,"  "  the  black-coated 
villain,"  "  lynch  the  scoundrel,"  "  let's  tar  and  feather 
him,"  and  like  remarks  which  I  had  no  idea  applied  to 
me  till  one  man  seized  me  by  the  collar,  while  five  or 
six  more  appeared  on  the  scene  with  a  rail. 

"  Come,"  said  the  man  who  collared  me,  "  old  chap, 
you  can't  walk  any  further ;  we  know  you,  and  as  we 
always  make  gentlemen  ride  in  these  parts,  you  may  just 
prepare  to  straddle  that  rail !  " 

My  surprise  may  be  imagined.  "  Good  heavens !  " 
I  exclaimed,  as  they  all  pressed  around  me,  "  gentlemen, 
what  have  I  done  1 " 

"  Oh,  we  know  you,"  exclaimed  half  a  dozen  voices  ; 
"  you  need  n't  roll  your  sanctimonious  eyes  ;  that  game 
do  n't  take  in  this  country.  Come,  straddle  the  rail,  and 
remember  the  stack-yard ! " 

I  grew  more  and  more  bewildered ;  I  could  not, 
imagine  what  possible  offence  I  was  to  suffer  for,  and  I 
continued  to  exclaim,  "  Gentlemen,  what  have  I  done? " 
Don't  kill  me,  gentlemen,  but  tell  me  what  I  have 
done." 

"  Come,  make  him  straddle  the  rail ;  well  show  him 
how  to  hang  poor  factory  girls,"  shouted  a  man  in  the 
crowd. 

The  man  who  had  me  by  the  collar  then  remarked, 
<c  Come,  Mr.  Avery,  it's  no  use,  you  see,  we  know  you, 
and  we'll  give  you  a  touch  of  Lynch  law,  and  start  you 
for  home  again." 


84  MY  STAET  AS  A  SHOWltfAK. 

'"My  name  is  not  Avery,  gentlemen;  you  are  mis 
taken  in  your  man,"  I  exclaimed. 

"Come,  come,  none  of  your  gammon;  straddle  !th!e 
rail,  Ephrarmi" 

The  rail  was  brought  and  I  was  about  to  be  placed  on 
it,  when  the  truth  flashed  upon  me. 

"  Gentlemen,"  I  exclaimed,  "  I  am  not  AVery  ;  I  <I£s- 
pise  that  villain  as  much  as  you  can ;  ^ra^Xname  is  Bar- 
num ;  I  belong  to  the  circus  which  arrived  jhere  last 
night,  and  I  am  sure  Old  Turner,  my  partner,  has 
hoaxed  you  with  this  ridiculous  story." 

"  If  he  has  we'll  lynch  him,"  said  ondbf  the;  rnbD.' 

44  Well,  he  has,  I'll  assure  youj  and  if J you  will  walk 
to  the  hotel  with  me,  I'll  convince ^you1  of  the  fadf11"" 

This  they  reluctantly  as^nted  to,  keeping,  h;6 We ver, 
a  close  hand  upon  me.  As  we  walked  up  the  main 
street,  the  mob  received  a  re-enforcement  of  some  fifty  or 
sixty,  and  I  was  marched  like  a  malefactor  up  to  trie 
hotel.  Old  Turner  stood  on  tile  piazza  ready  to  explode 
'with  laughter.  'I 'appealed  to 'him  for  heaven's  sake'fo 
explain  this  matter,  that  I  might  be  liberated.  He  con 
tinued  to  laugh,  but  finally  told  them  cc  he  believed  there 
was  some  mistake  about  it.  The  fact  is,"  said  he,  u  my 
friend  Barnitm  has  a  new  suit  of  black  clothes  on  and 
he  looks  so  much  'like  a  priest  that  I  thought  he  must 
be  Avery  " 

The  crowd  saw  the  joke  and  seemed  satisfied.  "My 
new  coat  had  been  half  torn  from  my  back  and  I  had 
been  very  roughly  handled.  But  some  of  the  crowd 
apologized  for  the  outrage,  declaring  that  Turner  ought 
to  be  served  in  the  same  way,  while  others  advised  me 
to  ':  get  even  with  him."  I  was  very  much  offended, 
and  when  the  mob  dispersed  I  asked  Turner  what  could 
have  induced  him  to  play  such  a  trick  upon  me. 


MY  STAKT  AS  A  SHOWMAN.  85 

«  My  dear  Mr.  Barnum,"  h£  replied,  "  it  was  all  for 
our  good.  Remember,  all  we  need  to  insure  success 
is  notoriety.  You  will  see  that  this  will  be  noised  all 
about  town  as  a  trick  played  by  one  of  the  circus 
managers  upon  the  other,  and  our  pavilion  will  be 
crammed  to-morrow  night." 

It  was  even  so ;  the  trick  was  told  all  over  town  and 
every  one  came  to  see  the  circus  managers  who  were  in 
a  habit  of  playing  practical  jokes  upon  each  other. 
We  had  fine  audiences  while  we  remained  at  Annapolis, 
but  it  was  a  long  time  before  I  forgave  Turner  for 
his  rascally  "joke." 


r      r  •        T  T*    r 

'">]   DOjOlOOfc    1D&IJJ  I   J>iIB-  T3I3J 

,f  freJ*'/"  ^lorsftif)  loilx:  {1^: 
r>;;rf   tny^is  ino''?.^  infit  molbiiul  sill  -\ 

:  oilw  f)ni5  •••  afJ3ff/ri-: 

. .      .  r .    ;     ^ ,  f  IA    r  r- v ,  h ;  c,  rf      -f  --t a  r  »-n T  •       f  *vrH 

«1    ./»»    -w   ««  il/f'     A  *      CPJ     Jiif-tl     iij1 

"bi;joo      :'.hrj«'!({ni-t^   ;ry&     ,^nm*£Offi 
!>rr;>   .arolr:         jEnoddijH  oa 


Cn  077  -foofo' 


./.AM770H8  A  SA  TJTAta  YM 


uol  Ifi;  i;£7/  Ji  ij  .[>oilq-)i  $i{  ".m^'*-^  •'*—  ^iO^   $£** 
/a  smarri  oj   boon  DVT   Hi.;    ^du/mrtyH      .1)0;.^  -jj/o 
jgioa  ad  Iliw  8idJ  toli  992  IIJ7/  r»V/     .v.teholorr  >.i 
silt  lo    oiio    7(1   Lr>(iilq    .>bht    r,  ajj  av/ot   jnoc;, 

IIw   aolIi'/UQ   mo    hirr»   /loilio   91!*   noqir   ^-A?^j;aj;rn 
CHAPTER    VI. 


1IY  FIRST  TRAVELLING  COMPANY. 

/  offw  8-flfeuiijjin  errTiio  oiL*  o^a  ot  orr' 

MEALS  AND  LODGING  IN  ONE,  HOUR  —  TURNING  THE  TABLES  ON- 1'URNER 
—  A  SON  AS  OLD  AS  HIS  FATHER  —  LEAVING  THE  CIRCUS  WITH  TWELVE  HUN 
DRED  DOLLARS  —  MY  FIRST  TRAVELLING  COMPANY  —  PREACHING  TO  THE 
PEOPLE  —  APPEARING  AS  A  NEGRO  MINSTREL  —  THREATENED  WITH  ASSAS 
SINATION —  ESCAPES  FISOM  DANGER — TEMPERANCE  —  REPORT  OF  MY  ARREST 
FOR  MURDER  —  RE -ENFORCING  MY  COMPANY — "BARNUM'S  GRAND  SCIENTIFIC 
AND  MUSICAL  THEATRE" — OUTWITTING  A  SHERIFF — "l^ADY"  HAYES's"  MAN 
SION  AND  PLANTATION  —  A  BRILLIANT  AUDIENCE  —  BASS  DRUM  SOLO  —  CROSS 
ING  THE  INDIAN  NATION  —  JQE  PENTLAND  AS  A  SAVAGE  —  TERROR  AND 
FLIGHT  OF  VIVALLA  —  A  NONPLUSSED  LEGERDEMAIN  PERFORMER  —  A  MALE 
EGG -LAYER  —  DISBANDING  MY  COMPANY  — A  NEW  PARTNERSHIP  —  PUBLIC 
LECTURING  —  DIFFICULTY  WITH  A  DROVER — THE  STEAMBOAT  "  CERES "  — 
SUDDEN  MARRIAGE  ON  BOARD  —  MOBBED  IN  LOUISIANA  —  ARRIVAL  AT  NEW 
ORLEANS. 

AN  amusing  incident  occurred  when  we  were  at 
Hanover  Court  House,  in  Virginia.  It  rained  so  heavily 
that  we  could  not  perform  there  and  Turner  decided  to 
start  for  Richmond  immediately  after  dinner,  when  he 
was  informed  by  the  landlord  that  as  our  agent  had 
engaged  three  meals  and  lodging  for  the  whole 
company,  the  entire  hill  must  be  paid  whether  we  went 
then,  or  next  morning.  No  compromise  could  be 
effected  with  the  stubborn  landlord  and  so  Tunic  i 
proceeded  to  get  the  worth  of  his  money  as  follows : 

lie  ordered  dinner  at  twelve  o'clock,  which  was  duly 
prepared  and  eaten.  The  table  was  cleared  and  re-set 
for  supper  at  half-past  twelve.  At  one  o'clock  we  all 
went  to  bed,  every  man  carrying  a  lighted  candle  to  his 
room.  There  were  thirty-six  of  us  and  we  all 
undressed  and  tumbled  into  bed  as  if  we  were  going  to 


MY  FIRST  TRAVELLING  COMPANY.  87 

stay  all  night.  In  naif  an  hour  we  rose  and  went  down 
to  the  hot  breakfast  which  Turner  had  demanded  and 
which  we  found  smoking  on  the  table.  Turner  was 
very  grave,  the  landlord  was  exceedingly  angry,  and  the 
rest  of  us  were  convulsed  with  laughter  at  the  absurdity 
of  the  whole  proceeding.  We  disposed  of  our  break 
fast  as  if  we  had  eaten  nothing  for  ten  hours  and 
then  started  for  Richmond  with  the  satisfaction  that 
we  fairly  settled  with  our  unreasonable  landlord. 

At  Richmond,  after  performances  were  over  one 
night,  I  managed  to  partially  pay  Turner  for  his  Avery 
trick.  A  dozen  or  more  of  us  were  enjoying  ourselves 
in  the  sitting  room  of  the  hotel,  telling  stories  and 
singing  songs,  when  some  of  the  company  proposed 
sundry  amusing  arithmetical  questions,  followed  by  one 
from  Turner,  which  was  readily : 'solved.  Hoping  to 
catch  Turner  I  then  proposed  the  following  problem : 

"Suppose  a  man  is  thirty  years  of  age  and  he  has 
a  child  one  year  of  age ;  he  is  thirty  times  older  than 
his  child.  When  the  child  is  thirty  years  old,  the 
father,  being  ^sixty,  is  only  twice  as  old  as  his  child. 
When  the  child  is  sixty  the  father  is  ninety,  and  there 
fore  only  one-third  older  than  the  child.  When  the 
child  is  ninety  the  father  is  one  hundred  and  twenty, 
and  therefore  only  one- fourth  older  than  the  child. 
Thus  'yoii  see,  the.  child  is  gradually  but  surely  gaining 
on  the  parent,  and  as  he  certainly  '.continues  to  come 
nearer  and  nearer,  in  time  he  must  overtake  him.  The 
question  therefore  is:,  suppose  it  was  possible  for  them  to 
livelong  enough,  how  old? would  the  father  be  when 
the  child  overtook  him  and  became  of  the  same  age?" 

The  company  generally  saw  the  catch;  but  Turner 
was  very  much  interested  in  the  problem,  and  although 


88  MY  FIRST  TRAVELLING  COMPANY. 

he  admitted  he  knew  nothing  about  arithmetic  he  was 
convinced  that  as  the  son  was  gradually  gaining  on  the 
father  he  must  reach  him  if  there  was  time  enough  — 
say,  a  thousand  years,  or  so  —  for  the  race.  But  an  old 
gentleman  gravely  remarked  that  the  idea  of  a  son  be 
coming  as  old  as  his  father  while  both  were  living  was 
simply  nonsense,  and  he  offered  to  bet  a  dozen  of  cham 
pagne  that  the  thing  was  impossible,  even  "  in  figures." 
Turner,  who  was  a  betting  man,  and  who  thought  the 
problem  might  be  proved,  accepted  the  wager ;  but  he 
was  soon  convinced  that  however  much  the  boy  might 
relatively  gain  upon  his  father,  there  would  always  be 
thirty  years  difference  in  their  ages.  The  champagne 
cost  him  $25,  and  he  failed  to  see  the  fun  of  my  arith 
metic,  though  at  last  he  acknowledged  that  it  was  a  fair 
offset  to  the  Avery  trick. 

We  went  from  Richmond  to  Petersburg,  and  from 
that  place  to  Warrenton,  North  Carolina,  where,  Octo 
ber  30th,  my  engagement  expired  with  a  profit  to  myself 
of  $1,200.  I  now  separated  from  the  circus  company, 
taking  Vivalla,  James  Sanford,  (a  negro  singer  and 
dancer,)  several  musicians,  horses,  wagons,  and  a  small 
canvas  tent  with  which  I  intended  to  begin  a  travelling 
exhibition  of  my  own.  My  company  started  and  Tur 
ner  took  me  on  the  way  in  his  own  carriage  some  twenty 
miles.  We  parted  reluctantly  and  my  friend  wished  me 
every  success  in  my  new  venture. 

On  Saturday,  November  12,  1836,  we  halted  at  Kocky 
Mount  Falls,  North  Carolina,  and  on  my  way  to  the 
Baptist  Church,  Sunday  morning,  I  noticed  a  stand  and 
benches  in  a  grove  near  by,  and  determined  to  speak  to 
the  people  if  I  was  permitted.  The  landlord  who  was 
with  me  said  that  the  congregation,  coming  from  a  dis- 


MY  FIRST  TRAVELLING  COMPANY.  89 

tance  to  attend  a  single  service,  would  be  very  glad  to 
hear  a  stranger  and  I  accordingly  asked  the  venerable 
clergyman  to  announce  that  after  service  I  would  speak 
for  half  an  hour  in  the  grove.  Learning  that  I  was  not 
a  clergyman,  he  declined  to  give  the  notice,  but  said 
that  he  had  no  objection  to  my  making  the  announce 
ment,  which  I  did,  and  the  congregation,  numbering 
about  three  hundred,  promptly  came  to  hear  me. 

I  told  them  I  was  not  a  preacher  and  had  very  littk 
experience  in  public  speaking ;  but  I  felt  a  deep  interest 
in  matters  of  morality  and  religion,  and  would  attempt, 
in  a  plain  way,  to  set  before  them  the  duties  and  privi 
leges  of  man.  I  appealed  to  every  man's  experience, 
observation  and  reason,  to  confirm  the  Bible  doctrine  of 
wretchedness  in  vice  and  happiness  in  virtue.  We  can 
not  violate  the  laws  of  God  with  impunity,  and  he  will 
not  keep  back  the  wages  of  well-doing.  The  outside 
show  of  things  is  of  very  small  account.  We  must 
look  to  realities  and  not  to  appearances.  "  Diamonds 
may  glitter  on  a  vicious  breast,"  but  "  the  soul's  calm 
sunshine  and  the  heart-felt  joy  is  virtue's  prize."  The 
rogue,  the  passionate  man,  the  drunkard,  are  not  to  be 
envied  even  at  the  best,  and  a  conscience  hardened  by 
sin  is  the  most  sorrowful  possession  we  can  think  of.  I 
went  on  in  this  way,  with  some  scriptural  quotations  and 
familiar  illustrations,  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour.  At 
the  close  of  my  address  several  persons  took  me  by 
the  hand,  expressing  themselves  as  greatly  pleased  and 
desiring  to  know  my  name ;  and  I  went  away  with  the 
feeling  that  possibly  I  might  have  done  some  good  in 
the  beautiful  grove  on  that  charming  Sunday  morning. 

When  we  were  at  Camden,  South  Carolina,   Sanford 
suddenly  left  me,  and  as  I  had  advertised  negro   songs 


90  MY  FIBST  TRAVELLING  COMPANY. 

and  none  of  my  company  was  competent  to  fill  Sanford's 
place,  not  to  disappoint  my  audience,  I  blacked  myself 
and  sung  the  advertised  songs,  "Zip  Coon,"  etc.,  and  to 
my  surprise  was  much  applauded,  while  two  of  the 
songs  were  encored.  One  evening  after  singing  my 
songs  I  heard  a  disturbance  outside  the  tent  and  going 
to  the  spot  found  a  person  disputing  with  my  men.  I 
took  part  on  the  side  of  the  men,  when  the  person  who 
was  quarrelling  with  them  drew  a  pistol  and  exclaiming, 
"  you  black  scoundrel !  how  dare  you  use  such  language 
to  a  white  man,"  he  proceeded  to  cock  it.  I  saw  that 
he  thought  I  was  a  negro  and  meant  to  blow  my  brains 
out.  Quick  as  thought  I  rolled  my  sleeve  up,  showed 
my  skin,  and  said,  "  I  am  as  white  as  you  are,  sir."  He 
dropped  his  pistol  in  positive  fright  and  begged  my 
pardon.  My  presence  of  mind  saved  me. 

On  four  different  occasions  in  my  life  I  have  had  a 
loaded  pistol  pointed  at  my  head  and  each  time  I  have 
escaped  death  by  what  seemed  a  miracle.  I  have  also 
often  been  in  deadly  peril  by  accidents,  and  when  I 
think  of  these  things  I  realize  my  indebtedness  to  an 
all-protecting  Providence.  Reviewing  my  career,  too, 
and  considering  the  kind  of  company  I  kept  for  years 
and  the  associations  with  which  I  was  surrounded  and 
connected,  I  am  surprised  as  well  as  grateful  that  I  was 
not  ruined.  I  honestly  believe  that  I  owe  my  preserva 
tion  from  the  degradation  of  living  and  dying  a  loafer 
and  a  vagabond,  to  the  single  fact  that  I  was  never 
addicted  to  strong  drink.  To  be  sure,  I  have  in  times 
past  drank  liquor,  but  I  have  generally  wholly  abstained 
from  intoxicating  beverages,  and  for  more  than  twenty 
years  past,  I  am  glad  to  say,  I  have  been  a  strict  "  tee- 
totaller.'lp"  <>^;fl 


MY  FIEST  TRAVELLING  COMPANY.  91 

At  Camden  I  lost  one  of  my  musicians,  a  Scotchman 
named  Cochran,  who  was  arrested  for  advising  the 
negro  barber  who  was  shaving  him  to  run  away  to  the 
Free  States  or  to  Canada.  I  made  every  effort  to  effect 
Cochran's  release,  but  he  was  imprisoned  more  than  six 
months. 

While  I  was  away  from  home  I  generally  wrote  twice 
a  week  to  my  family  and  received  letters  nearly  as  often 
from  my  wife.  One  of  her  letters,  which  I  received  in 
Columbia,  South  Carolina,  informed  me  it  was  currently 
reported  in  Connecticut  that  I  was  under  sentence  of 
death  in  Canada  for  murder !  The  story  grew  out  of  a 
rumor  about  a  difficulty  in  Canada  between  some  row 
dies  and  a  circus  company  —  not  Turner's,  —  for  we  met 
his  troupe  at  Columbia,  December  5,  1836.  That  com 
pany  was  then  to  be  disbanded  and  I  bought  four  horses 
and  two  wagons  and  hired  Joe  .Pentland  and  Robert 
White  to  join  my  company.  White,  as  a  negro-singer, 
would  relieve  me  from  that  roll,  and  Pentland,  besides 
being  a  capital  clown,  was  celebrated  as  a  ventriloquist, 
comic  singer,  balancer,  and  legerdemain  performer. 
My  re-enforced  exhibition  was  called  "  Barnum's  Grand 
Scientific  and  Musical  Theatre." 

Some  time  previously,  in  Ealeigh,  North  Carolina,  I 
had  sold  one-half  of  my  establishment  to  a  man,  whom 
I  will  call  Henry,  who  now  acted  as  treasurer  and 
vticket-taker.  At  Augusta,  Georgia,  the  sheriff  served  a 
writ  upon  this  Henry  for  a  debt  of  $500.  As  Henry 
had  $600  of  the  company's  money  in  his  possession,  I 
immediately  procured  a  bill  of  sale  of  all  his  property  in 
the  exhibition  and  returned  to  the  theatre  where  Henry's 
creditor  and  the  creditor's  lawyer  were  waiting  for  me. 
They  demanded  the  keys  of  the  stable  so  as  to  levy  on 


92  MY  FIRST  TRAVELLING  COMPANY. 

the  horses  and  wagons.  I  begged  delay  till  I  could 
see  Henry,  and  they  consented.  Henry  was  anxious  to 
cheat  his  creditor  and  he  at  once  signed  the  bill  of  sale. 
I  returned  and  informed  the  creditor  that  Henry  refused 
to  pay  or  compromise  the  claim.  The  sheriff  then  de 
manded  the  keys  of  the  stable  door  to  attach  Henry's 
interest  in  the  property.  "  Not  yet,"  said  I,  showing  a 
bill  of  sale,  "  you  see  I  am  in  full  possession  of  the 
property  as  entire  owner.  You  confess  that  you  have 
not  yet  levied  on  it,  and  if  you  touch  my  property,  you 
do  it  at  your  peril." 

They  were  very  much  taken  aback  and  the  sheriff 
immediately  conveyed  Henry  to  prison.  The  next  day 
I  learned  that  Henry  owed  his  creditors  thirteen  hun 
dred  dollars  and  that  he  had  agreed  when  the  Saturday 
evening  performance  was  ended  to  hand  over  five 
hundred  dollars  ( company  money )  and  a  bill  of  sale 
of  his  interest,  in  consideration  of  which  one  of  the 
horses  was  to  be  ready  for  him  to  run  away  with, 
leaving  me  in  the  lurch !  Learning  this,  I  had  very 
little  sympathy  for  Henry  and  my  next  step  was 
to  secure  the  five  hundred  dollars  he  had  secreted. 
Vivalla  had  obtained  it  from  him  to  keep  it  from 
the  sheriff ;  I  received  it  from  Vivalla,  on  Henry's 
order,  as  a  supposed  means  of  procuring  bail  for  him 
on  Monday  morning.  I  then  paid  the  creditor  the  full 
amount  obtained  from  Henry  as  the  price  of  his  half 
interest  in  the  exhibition  and  received  in  return  an 
assignment  of  five  hundred  dollars  of  the  creditor's 
claims  and  a  guaranty  that  I  should  not  be  troubled 
by  my  late  partner  on  that  score.  Thus,  promptness  of 
action  and  good  luck  relieved  me  from  one  of  the  most 
mpleasant  positions  in  which  I  had  ever  been  placed. 


MY  FIKST  TEAVELLISTG  COMPANY.  93 

While  travelling  with  our  teams  and  show  through  a 
desolate  part  of  Georgia,  our  advertiser,  who  was  in 
advance  of  the  party,  finding  the  route,  on  one  occasion, 
too  long  for  us  to  reach  a  town  at  night,  arranged  with 
a  poor  widow  woman  named  Hayes  to  furnish  us  with 
meals  and  let  us  lodge  in  her  hut  and  out-houses.  It 
was  a  beggarly  place,  belonging  to  one  of  the  poorest  of 
"  poor  whites."  Our  horses  were  to  stand  out  all  night, 
and  a  farmer,  six  miles  distant,  was  to  bring  a  load 
of  provender  on  the  day  of  our  arrival.  Bills  were 
then  posted  announcing  a  performance  under  a  canvas 
tent  near  Widow  Hayes's,  for,  as  a  show  was  a  rarity 
in  that  region,  it  was  conjectured  that  a  hundred 
or  more  small  farmers  and  "  poor  whites "  might  be 
assembled  and  that  the  receipts  would  cover  the 
expenses. 

Meanwhile,  our  advertiser,  who  was  quite  a  wag, 
wrote  back  informing  us  of  the  difficulties  of  reaching 
a  town  on  that  part  of  our  route  and  stating  that  he 
had  made  arrangements  for  us  to  stay  over  night  on  the 
plantation  of  "  Lady  Hayes,"  and  that  although  the 
country  was  sparsely  settled,  we  could  doubtless  give 
a  profitable  performance  to  a  fair  audience. 

Anticipating  a  fine  time  on  this  noble  "  plantation," 
we  started  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  so  as 
to  arrive  at  one  o'clock,  thus  avoiding  the  heat  of 
the  afternoon.  Towards  noon  we  came  to  a  small  river 
where  sqme  men,  whom  we  afterwards  discovered  to  be 
down-east  Yankees,  from  Maine,  were  repairing  a  bridge. 
Every  flooring  plank  had  been  taken  up  and  it  was 
impossible  for  our  teams  to  cross.  "  Could  the  bridge 
be  fixed  so  that  we  could  go  over?"  I  inquired ;  "  No  ; 
it  would  take  half  a  day,  and  meantime  if  we  must 


$4  MY  FIEST  TEA  YELLING  COMPANY. 

cross,  there  was  a  place  about  sixte'eii-  thiles  down  the 
river  where  we  could  get  over."  "But  we  can't  go  fee-far 
as  that ;  we  are  under  engagement  to;  perform  on  Lady 
Hayes's  place  to-night  and  we  must  cross  here. 
Fix  the  bridge  and  we  will  pay  you  handsomely." 

They  wanted  no  money,  but  if0  we -'would  give  them 
some  tickets  to  our  show  they  thought  they  might  do 
something  for  us.  I  gladly  consented  and  in  fifteen 
minutes  we  crossed  that  bridge.  The  cunning  rascals 
had  seen  our  posters  and  knew  we  were  coming ;  so 
they  had  taken  up  the  planks  of  the  bridge  and  had 
hidden  them  till  they  had  levied  upon  us  for  tickets, 
when  the  floor  was  re-laid  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  We 
laughed  heartily  at  the  trick  and  were  very  glad  to 
cross  so  cheaply. 

Towards  dinner  time,  we  began  to  look  out  for  the 
grand  mansion  of  "  Lady  Hayes,"  and  seeing  nothing 
but  little  huts  we  quietly  puisued  our  journey.  At  one 
o'clock  —  the  time- \vhen  we  should  have  arrived  at  our 
destination—-!  became  impatient  and  riding  up  to  a 
poverty-stricken  hovel  and  seeing  a  ragged,  barefooted 
old  woman,  with  her  sleeves  rolled  up  to  her  shoulders, 
who  was  washing  clothes  in  front  of  the  door,  I  in 
quired  — 

"  Hallo  !  can  you  tell  me  where  Lady  Hayes  lives  ?  " 

The  old  woman  raised  her  head,  which  was  covered 
with  tangled  locks  and  matted  hair,  and  exclaimed  — 

"Hey?" 

"  No,  Hayes,  Lady  Hayes  ;  where  is  her  plantation  ?  " 

"  This  is  the  place,"  she  answered  ;.  "  I'm  Widder 
Hayes  and  you  are  all  to  stay  here  to-night." 

We  could  not  believe  our  ears  or  eyes ;  but  after  put 
ting  the  dirty  old  woman  through  a  severe  cross-exami- 


MY  FIEST  TRAVELLING  COMPANY.  95 

nation  she  finally  produced  a  contract,  signed  by  our 
advertiser,  agreeing  for  board  and  lodging  for" the  com 
pany  and  we  found  ourselves  booked  for  the  night.  It 
appeared  that  our  advertiser  could  find  no  better  quar 
ters  in  that  forlorn  section  and  he  had  indulged  in  a 
Joke  at  our  expense  by  exciting  our  appetites  and  ima 
ginations  in  anticipation  of  the  luxuries  we  should  find 
in  the  magnificent  mansion  of  "Lady  Hayes." 

Joe  Pentland  grumbled,  Bob  White  indulged  in 
some  very  strong  language,  and  Signor  Vivalla  laughed. 
He  had  travelled  with  his  monkey  and  organ  in  Italy 
and  could  put  up  with  any  fare  that  offered.  I  took 
the  disappointment  philosophically,  simply  remarking 
that  we  must  make  the  best  of  it  and  compensate  our 
selves  when  we  reached  a  town  next  day. 

When  the  old  woman  called  us  to  dinner  we  crept 
into  her  hut  and  found  that  she  had  improvised  benches 
at  her  table  by  placing  boards  upon  the  only  four  chairs 
in  her  possession,  and  at  that,  some  of  us  were  obliged 
to  stand.  The  dinner  consisted  of  a  piece  of  boiled 
smoked  bacon,  a  large  dish  of  "  greens,"  and  corn  bread. 
Three  plates,  two  knives,  and  three  forks  made  up  the 
entire  table  furniture  and  compelled  a  resort  to  our  jack- 
knives.  "  A  short  horse  is  soon  curried,"  and  dinner 
was  speedily  despatched.  It  did  not  seem  possible  for  an 
audience  to  assemble  in  that  forsaken  quarter,  and  we 
concluded  not  to  take  the  canvas  tent  out  of  the  wagon. 

By  three  o'clock,  however,  at  least  fifty  persons  had 
arrived  on  the  ground  to  attend  the  night  show  and 
they  reported  "  more  a  coming."  Accordingly  we  put 
up  the  tent  and  arranged  our  small  stage  and  curtains, 
preparing  seats  for  two  hundred  people.  Those  who 
had  already  arrived  were  mostly  women,  many  of  them 


MY  FIRST  TRAVELLING  COMPANY. 

sixteen  to  twenty  years  old  —  poor,,  thin,  sallow- 
%ced  creatures,  wretchedly  clad,  some  of  fliem  engaged 
in  smoking  pipes,  while  the  rest  were  cliewing  snuff. 
This  latter  process  was  new  to  me ;  each  chewer  was 
provided  with  a  short  stick,  softened  at  one  end,  by 
chewing  it,  and  this  stick  was  occasionally  dipped  into  a 
snuff  box  and  then  stuck  into  the  month.,  from  whence 
it  protruded  like  a  cigar.  The  technical  term  for  the 
'ijEoceeding  is  "  snuff- dipping." 

Before  night,  stragglers  had  brought  the  number 
0>£  people  on  Lady  Hayes7  plantation  up  to  cne 
Hundred,  and  soon  after  dark,  we  opened  our  exhibition 
"o  an  audience  of  about  two  hundred.  The  men  were 
•3,  pale,  haggard  set  of  uncombed3  uncouth  creatures, 
whose  constantly-moving  jaws  and  the  streams  of 
colored  saliva  exuding  from  the  corners  of  their  mouths 
indicated  that  they  were  confirmed  tobacco  chewers.  I 
never  saw  a  more  stupid  and  brutish  assemblage  of 
human  beings.  The  performance  delighted  them ; 
Pentland's  sleight-of-hand  tricks  astonished  them  and  led 
them  to  declare  that  he  must  be  in  league  with  the  evil 
one ;  Signor  Vivalla's  ball-tossing  and  plate  spinning 
elicited  their  loudest  applause  ;  and  Bob  White's  negro 
songs  and  break-downs  made  them  fairly  scream  with 
laughter. 

At  last,  the  performance  terminated  and  Pentland 
stepped  forward  and  delivered  the  closing  address,  which 
he  had  repeated,  word  for  word,  a  hundred  times,  and 
which  was  precisely  as  follows  : 

"  Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  The  entertainments  of  the 
evening  have  now  come  to  a  conclusion,  and,  we  hope, 
to  your  general  satisfaction." 

But   now   came    a   dilemma ;    the   meaning    of  this 


MY  FIKST  TKAVELLING  COMPANY.  97 

announcement  was  quite  above  the  comprehension  of 
the  audience ;  they  had  not  the  remotest  idea  that  the 
performance  was  finished,  and  they  sat  like  statues. 

With  a  hearty  laugh  at  Pentland  I  told  him  that  his 
language  was  not  understood  in  this  locality  and  that 
he  must  try  again.  He  was  chagrined,  and  declared 
that  he  would  not  say  another  word.  Little  Vivalla 
laughed,  danced  around  like  a  monkey,  and  said,  in  his 
broken  English : 

"  Ah,  ha !  Signer  Pentland ;  you  no  speak  good  Eeng- 
lish,  hah !  These  educated  peoples  no  understand  you, 

eh?     By  gar  what  d d  fools.     Ah,  Signor  Barnum, 

let  me  speaks  to  them ;  I  will  make  them  jump  double 
queek." 

I  quite  enjoyed  the  fun  and  said,  "  Well,  Signor,  go 
ahead." 

The  little  Italian  jumped  upon  the  stage  and  with  a 
broad  grimace  and  tremendous  gesture  exclaimed  — 

"  Eet  is  feenish  !" 

He  then  retired  behind  the  curtain,  but,  of  course, 
the  audience  did  not  understand  that  he  had  told  them 
the  performance  was  finished.  No  one  would  have 
understood  him.  Hence,  the  spectators  sat  still,  won 
dering  what  would  come  next.  "  By  gar,"  said  Vivalla, 
losing  his  temper,  "  I  will  give  them  a  hint,"  and  he 
loosened  the  cord  and  down  fell  the  curtain  on  one 
side  of  the  stage. 

"  Good,  good,"  cried  out  an  enthusiastic  "  poor 
white,"  giving  his  quid  a  fresh  roll  to  the  other  side  of 
his  mouth,  "  now  we  are  going  to  have  something  new." 

"  I  reckon  they's  to  tin'  that  plunder  off  to  get  ready 
for  a  dance,"  said  a  delicate  "  dipper,"  making  a  lunge 
into  her  box  for  another  mouthful  of  the  dust. 


98  MY  FIRST  TBAVELLIKO  COMPANY. 

Things  were  becoming  serious,  and  I  saw  that  in 
order  to  get  rid  of  these  people  they  must  be  addressed 
in  plain  language ;  so,  walking  upon  the  stage,  I  simply 
said,  making  at  the  same  time  a  motion  for  them  to 
g°>— 

"It  is  all  over ;  no  more  performance ;  the  show  is 
out." 

This  was  understood,  but  they  still  stood  upon  the 
order  of  their  going  and  were  loth  to  leave,  especially 
as  the,  to  them,  extraordinary  announcements  of  Pent- 
land  and  Vivalla  had  prepared  them  for  something 
fresh.  Several  days  before,  our  band  of  musicians  had 
left  us,  reducing  our  orchestra  to  an  organ  and  pipes, 
ground  and  blown  by  an  Italian  whom  we  had  picked 
up  on  the  road.  We  had,  in  addition,  a  large  bass 
drum,  with  no  one  to  beat  it,  and  this  drum  was  espied 
by  some  of  the  audience  in  going  out.  Very  soon  I 
was  waited  upon  by  a  masculine  committee  of  three, 
who  informed  me  that  "  the  young  ladies  were  very 
anxious  to  hear  a  tune  on  the  big  drum."  Pentland 

o 

heard  the  request  and  replied,  "  I  will  accommodate  the 
young  ladies,"  and  strapping  on  the  drum  he  took  a 
stick  in  each  hand  and  began  to  pound  tremendously. 
Occasionally  he  would  rap  the  sticks  together,  toss  one 
of  them  into  the  air,  catching  it  as  it  came  down,  and 
then  pound  away  again  like  mad.  In  fact,  he  cut  up 
all  sorts  of  pranks  with  that  big  drum  and  when  he 
was  tired  out  and  stopped,  he  was  gratified  at  being  told 
by  the  "  young  ladies  "  that  they  had  never  heard  a  big 
drum  before,  but  he  "  played  it  splendid,"  and  they 
thought  it  was  altogether  the  best  part  of  the  entire 
performance ! 

The  next  forenoon  we  arrived  at  Macon,  and  congra- 


MY  FIRST  TRAVELLING  COMPANY.  99 

tulated  ourselves  that  we  had  again  reached  the  regions 
of  civilization. 

In  going  from  Columbus,  Georgia,  to  Montgomery, 
Alabama,  we  were  obliged  to  cross  a  thinly-settled, 
desolate  tract,  known  as  the  "Indian  Nation,"  and  as 
several  persons  had  been  murdered  by  hostile  Indians 
in  that  region,  it  was  deemed  dangerous  to  travel  the 
road  without  an  escort.  Only  the  day  before  we  started, 
the  mail  stage  had  been  stopped  and  the  passengers 
murdered,  the  driver  alone  escaping.  We  were  well 
armed,  however,  and  trusted  that  our  numbers  would 
present  too  formidable  a  force  to  be  attacked,  though 
we  dreaded  to  incur  the  risk.  Vivalla  alone  was  fear 
less  and  was  ready  to  encounter  fifty  Indians  and  drive 
them  into  the  swamp. 

Accordingly,  when  we  had  safely  passed  over  the 
entire  route  to  within  fourteen  miles  of  Montgomery, 
and  were  beyond  the  reach  of  danger,  Joe  Pentland 
determined  to  test  Vivalla's  bravery.  He  had  secretly 
purchased  at  Mount  Megs,  on  the  way,  an  old  Indian 
dress  with  a  fringed  hunting  shirt  and  moccasins  and 
these  he  put  on,  after  coloring  his  face  with  Spanish 
brown.  Then,  shouldering  his  musket  he  followed 
Vivalla  and  the  party  and,  approaching  stealthily, 
leaped  into  their  midst  with  a  tremendous  whoop. 

Vivalla's  companions  were  in  the  secret,  and  they 
instantly  fled  in  all  directions.  Vivalla  himself  ran  like 
a  deer  and  Pentland  after  him,  gun  in  hand  and  yelling 
horribly.  After  running  a  full  mile  the  poor  little 
Italian,  out  of  breath  and  frightened  nearly  to  death, 
dropped  on  his  knees  and  begged  for  his  life.  The 
"Indian"  levelled  his  gun  at  his  victim,  but  soon 
seemed  to  relent  and  signified  that  Vivalla  should  turn 


100  MY  FIKST  TRAVELLING  COMPANY. 

his  pockets  inside  out — which  he  did,  producing  and 
handing  over  a  purse,  containing  eleven  dollars.  The 
savage  then  marched  Vivalla  to  an  oak  and  with  a 
handkerchief  tied  him  in  the  most  approved  Indian 
manner  to  the  tree,  leaving  him  half  dead  with 
fright. 

Pentland  then  joined  us,  and  washing  his  face  and 
changing  his  dress,  we  all  'went  to  the  relief  of  Vivalla. 
He  was  overjoyed  to  see  us,  and  when  he  was  released 
his  courage  returned ;  he  swore  that  after  his  compan 
ions  left  him  the  Indian  had  been  re-enforced  by  six 
more  to  whom,  in  default  of  a  gun  or  other  means  to 
defend  himself,  Vivalla  had  been  compelled  to  surren 
der.  We  pretended  to  believe  his  story  for  a  week  and 
then  told  him  the  joke,  which  he  refused  to  credit, 
and  also  declined  to  take  the  money  which  Pentland 
offered  to  return,  as  it  could  not  possibly  be  his  since 
seven  Indians  had  taken  his  money.  We  had  a  great 
deal  of  fun  over  Vivalla's  courage,  but  the  matter  made 
him  so  cross  and  surly  that  we  were  finally  obliged  to 
drop  it  altogether.  From  that  time  forward,  however, 
Vivalla  never  boasted  of  his  prowess. 

We  arrived  at  Montgomery,  February  28th,  1837. 
Here  I  met  Henry  Hawley  a  legerdemain  performer, 
about  forty-five  years  of  age,  but  as  he  was  prematurely 
gray  he  looked  at  least  seventy,  and  I  sold  him  one-half 
of  my  exhibition.  He  had  a  ready  wit,  a  happy  way  oi 
localizing  his  tricks,  was  very  popular  in  that  part  of  the 
country,  where  he  had  been  performing  for  several  years, 
and  I  never  saw  him  nonplussed  but  once.  This  was 
when  he  was  performing  on  one  occasion  the  well- 
known  egg  and  bag  trick,  which  he  did  with  his  usual 
success,  producing  egg  after  egg  from  the  bag  and 


MY  FIRST  TRAVELLING  COMPANY.  101 

finally  breaking  one  to  show  that  they  were  genuine, 
"  Now,"  said  Hawley,  "  I  will  show  you  the  old  hen 
that  laid  them."  It  happened,  however,  that  the  negro 
boy  to  whom  had  been  intrusted  the  duty  of  supplying 
the  bag  had  made  a  slight  mistake  which  was  manifest 
when  Hawley  triumphantly  produced,  not  "  the  old  hen 
that  laid  the  eggs,"  but  a  rooster!  The  whole  audience 
was  convulsed  with  laughter  ,and  the  abashed  Hawley 
retreated  to  the  dressing  room  cursing  the  stupidity  of 
the  black  boy  who  had  been  paid  to  put  a  hen  in  the 
bag. 

After  performing  in  different  places  in  Alabama, 
Kentucky,  and  Tennessee,  we  disbanded  at  Nashville  in 
May,  1837,  Vivalla  going  to  New  York,  where  he  per 
formed  on  his  own  account  for  a  while  previous  to  sail 
ing  for  Cuba.  Hawley  staying  in  Tennessee  to  look  after 
our  horses  which  had  been  turned  out  to  grass,  and  I 
returning  home  to  spend  a  few  weeks  with  my  family. 

Early  in  July,  returning  west  with  a  new  company  of 
performers,  I  rejoined  Hawley  and  we  began  our  cam 
paign  in  Kentucky.  We  were  not  successful ;  one  of 
our  small  company  was  incompetent ;  another  was  in 
temperate  —  both  were  dismissed ;  and  our  negro-singer 
was  drowned  in  the  river  at  Frankfort.  Funds  were 
low  and  I  was  obliged  to  leave  pledges  here  and  there, 
in  payment  for  bills,  which  I  afterwards  redeemed. 
Hawley  and  I  dissolved  in  August  and  making  a  new 
partnership  with  Z.  Graves,  I  left  him  in  charge  of  the 
establishment  and  went  to  Tiffin,  Ohio,  where  I  re-en 
gaged  Joe  Pentland,  buying  his  horses  and  wagons  and 
taking  him,  with  several  musicians,  to  Kentucky. 

During  my  short  stay  at  Tiffin,  a  religious  conversa 
tion  at  the  hotel  introduced  me  to  several  gentlemen 

5* 


102  MY  FIKST  TRAVELLING  COMPANY. 

who  requested  me  to  lecture  on  the  subjects  we  had  dis 
cussed,  and  I  did  so  to  a  crowded  audience  in  the  school- 
house  Sunday  afternoon  and  evening.  At  the  solicitation 
of  a  gentleman  from  Republic,  I  also  delivered  two 
lectures  in  that  town  on  the  evenings  of  September  4th 
and  5th. 

On  our  way  to  Kentucky,  just  before  we  reached 
Cincinnati,  we  met  a  drove  of  hogs  and  one  of  the 
drivers  making  an  insolent  remark  because  our  wagons 
interfered  with  his  swine,  I  replied  in  the  same  vein, 
when  he  dismounted  and  pointing  a  pistol  at  my  breast 
swore  he  would  shoot  nie  if  I  did  not  apologize.  I  begged 
him  to  permit  me  to  consult  with  a  friend  in  the  next 
wagon,  and  the  misunderstanding  should  be  satisfac 
torily  settled.  My  friend  was  a  loaded  double-barreled 
gun  which  I  pointed  at  him  and  said : 

"  Now,  sir,  you  must  apologize,  for  your  brains  are 
in  danger.  You  drew  a  weapon  upon  me  for  a  trivial 
remark.  You  seem  to  hold  human  life  at  a  cheap 
price;  and  now,  sir,  you  have  the  choice  between 
a  load  of  shot  and  an  apology." 

This  led  to  an  apology  and  a  friendly  conversation  in 
which  we  both  agreed  that  many  a  life  is  sacrificed 
in  sudden  anger  because  one  or  both  of  the  contending 
parties  carry  deadly  weapons. 

In  our  subsequent  southern  tour  we  exhibited 
at  Nashville  ( where  I  visited  General  Jackson,  at 
the  Hermitage),  Huntsville,  Tuscaloosa,  Vicksburg  and 
intermediate  places,  doing  tolerably  well.  At  Vicks 
burg  we  sold  all  our  land  conveyances,  excepting 
the  band  wagon  and  four  horses,  bought  the  steamboat 
"  Ceres  "  for  six  thousand  dollars,  hired  the  captain  and 
crew,  and  started  down  the  river  to  exhibit  at  places  on 


MY  FI11ST  TRAVELLING  COMPANY.  103 

the  way.  At  Natchez  our  cook  left  us  and  in  the 
search  for  another  I  found  a  white  widow  who  would 
go,  only  she  expected  to  marry  a  painter.  I  called 
on  the  painter  who  had  not  made  up  his  mind  whether 
to  marry  the  widow  or  not,  but  I  told  him  if  he  would 
marry  her  the  next  morning  I  would  hire  her  at  twenty- 
five  dollars  a  month  as  cook,  employ  him  at  the  same 
wages  as  painter,  with  board  for  both,  and  a  cash  bonus 
of  fifty  dollars.  There  was  a  wedding  on  board  the 
next  day  and  we  had  a  good  cook  and  a  good  dinner. 

During  one  of  our  evening  performances  at  Fran- 
cisville,  Louisiana,  a  man  tried  to  pass  me  at  the  door 
of  the  tent,  claiming  that  he  had  paid  for  admittance.  I 
refused  him  entrance  ;  and  as  he  was  slightly  intoxicated 
he  struck  me  with  a  slung  shot,  mashing  my  hat 
and  grazing  what  phrenologists  call  "  the  organ  of 
caution."  He  went  away  and  soon  returned  with  a 
gang  of  armed  and  half-drunken  companions  who 
ordered  us  to  pack  up  our  "  traps  and  plunder  "  and  to 
get  on  board  our  steamboat  within  an  hour.  The 
big  tent  speedily  came  down.  No  one  was  permitted  to 
help  us,  but  the  company  worked  with  a  will  and 
within  five  minutes  of  the  expiration  of  the  hour  we 
were  on  board  and  ready  to  leave.  The  scamps  who  had 
caused  our  departure  escorted  us  and  our  last  load, 
waving  pine  torches,  and  saluted  us  with  a  hurrah  as  we 
swung  into  the  stream. 

The  New  Orleans  papers  of  March  19,  1838, 
announced  the  arrival  of  the  "  Steamer  Ceres,  Captain 
13arnum,  with  a  theatrical  company."  After  a  week's 
performances,  we  started  for  the  Attakapas  country. 
At  Opelousas  we  exchanged  the  steamer  for  sugar  and 
molasses;  our  company  was  disbanded,  and  I  started 
for  home,  arriving  in  New  York,  June  4,  18S8. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  LADDER 

DISGUST  AT  THE  TRAVELLED  BUSINESS  —  ADVERTISING  FOB  AN  ASSOCIATE  —  RUSH 
OF  THE  MILLION-MAKERS  —  COUNTERFEITERS,  CHEATS  AND  QUACKS  —  ANEW 
BUSINESS  — SWINDLED  BY  MY  PARTNER — DIAMOND  THE  DANGER — A  NEW  COM 
PANY — DESERTIONS — SUCCESSES  AT  NEW  ORLEANS — TYRONE  POWER  AND 
FANNY  ELLSLER — IN  JAIL  AGAIN — BACK  TO  NEW  YORK  —  ACTING  AS  A  BOOK 
AGENT  —  LEASING  VAUXHALL  —  FROM  HAND  TO  MOUTH  —  DETERMINATION  TO 
MAKE  MONEY  —  FORTUNE  OPENING  HER  DOOR  —  THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  FOR 
SALE — NEGOTIATIONS  FOR  THE  PURCHASE — HOPES  AND  DISAPPOINTMENTS — 
THE  TRAIN  LAID — SMASHING  A  RIVAL  COMPANY. 

I  HAVE  said  that  the  show  business  has  as  many 
grades  of  dignity  as  trade,  which  ranges  all  the  way 
from  the  mammoth  wholesale  establishment  down  to 
the  corner  stand.  The  itinerant  amusement  business  is 
at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder.  I  had  begun  there,  but 
I  had  no  wish  to  stay  there ;  in  fact,  I  was  thoroughly 
disgusted  with  the  trade  of  a  travelling  showman,  and 
although  I  felt  that  I  could  succeed  in  that  line,  yet  I 
always  regarded  it,  not  as  an  end,  but  as  a  means  to 
something  better. 

Longing  now  for  some  permanent  respectable  busi 
ness,  I  advertised  for  a  partner,  stating  that  I  had 
$ 2,500  to  invest  and  would  add  my  unremitting  personal 
attention  to  the  capital  and  the  business.  This  adver 
tisement  gave  me  an  altogether  new  insight  into  human 
nature.  Whoever  wishes  to  know  how  some  people 
live,  or  want  to  live,  let  him  advertise  for  a  partner, 
at  the  same  time  stating  that  he  has  a  large  or  small 
capital  to  invest.  I  was  flooded  with  answers  to  my 
advertisements  and  received  no  less  than  ninety-three 


AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  LADDER.          105 

different  propositions  for  the  use  of  my  capital.  Of 
these,  at  least  one-third  were  from  porter-house  keep 
ers.  Brokers,  pawnbrokers,  lottery-policy  dealers,  patent 
medicine  Tnen,  inventors,  and  others  also  made  applica 
tion.  Some  of  my  correspondents  declined  to  specif^ 
cally  state  the  nature  of  their  business,  but  they 
promised  to  open  the  door  to  untold  wealth. 

I  had  interviews  with  some  of  these  mysterious  mil 
lion-makers.  One  of  them  was  a  counterfeiter,  who, 
after  much  hesitation  and  pledges  of  secrecy  showed 
me  some  counterfeit  coin  and  bank  notes ;  he  wanted 
$2,500  to  purchase  paper  and  ink  and  to  prepare  new 
dies,  and  he  actually  proposed  that  I  should  join  him  in 
the  business  which  promised,  he  declared,  a  safe  and 

rich   harvest.     Another   sedate   individual,    dressed   in 

• 

Quaker  costume,  wanted  me  to  join  him  in  an  oat  specu 
lation.  By  buying  a  horse  and  wagon  and  by  selling 
oats,  bought  at  wholesale,  in  bags,  he  thought  a  good 
business  could  be  done,  especially  as  people  w^ould  not 
be  particular  to  measure  after  a  Quaker. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  cheat  in  measuring  your  oats  T  I 
asked. 

"  O,  I  should  probably  make  them  hold  out,"  he  an 
swered,  with  a  leer. 

One  application  came  from  a  Pearl  street  wool  mer 
chant,  who  failed  a  month  afterwards.  Then  came  a 
"perpetual  motion"  man  who  had  a  fortune-making 
machine,  in  which  I  discovered  a  main-spring  slyly  hid 
in  a  hollow  post,  the  spring  making  perpetual  motion 
—  till  it  ran  down.  Finally,  I  went  into  partnership 
with  a  German,  named  Proler,  who  was  a  manufacturer 
of  paste-blacking,  water-proof  paste  for  leather,  Cologne 
water  and  bear's  grease.  We  took  the  store  No. 


106  AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  LADDER. 

Bowery,  at  a  rent  (including  the  dwelling)  of  $600  per 
annum,  and  opened  a  large  manufactory  of  the  above 
articles.  Proler  manufactured  and  sold  the  goods  at 
wholesale  in  Boston,  Charleston,  Cleveland,  and  various 
other  parts  of  the  country.  I  kept  the  accounts,  and 
attended  to  sales  in  the  store,  wholesale  and  retail.  For 
a  while  the  business  seemed  to  prosper  —  at  least  till 
my  capital  was  absorbed  and  notes  for  stock  began'  to 
fall  due,  with  nothing  to  meet  them,  since  we  had  sold 
our  goods  on  long  credits.  In  January,  1840,  I  dis 
solved  partnership  with  Proler,  he  buying  the  entire  in 
terest  for  $2,600  on  credit,  and  then  running  away  to 
Eotterdam  without  paying  his  note,  and  leaving  me 
nothing  but  a  few  recipes.  Proler  was  a  good-looking, 
plausible,  promising  —  scamp. 

During  my  connection  with  Proler,  I  became  ac 
quainted  with  a  remarkable  young  dancer  named  John 
Diamond.  He  was  one  of  the  first  and  best  of  the 
numerous  negro  and  "  break-down  "  dancers  who  have 
since  surprised  and  amused  the  public,  and  I  entered 
into  an  engagement  with  his  father  for  his  services,  put 
ting  Diamond  in  the  hands  of  an  agent,  as  I  did  not 
wish  to  appear  in  the  transaction.  In  the  spring  of 
1840,  I  hired  and  opened  the  Vauxhall  Garden  saloon, 
in  New  York,  and  gave  a  variety  of  performances,  in 
cluding  singing,  dancing,  Yankee  stories,  etc.  In  this 
saloon  Miss  Mary  Taylor,  afterwards  so  celebrated  as  an 
actress  and  singer,  made  her  first  appearance  on  the 
stage.  The  enterprise,  however,  did  not  meet  my  ex 
pectation  and  I  relinquished  it  in  August. 

What  was  to  be  done  next?  I  dreaded  resuming  the 
life  of  an  itinerant  showman,  but  funds  were  low,  I  had 
a  family  to  care  for,  and  as  nothing  better  presented  I 


AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  LADDER          107 

made  up  my  mind  to  endure  the  vexations  and  uncertain 
ties  of  a  tour  in  the  West  and  South.  I  collected  a 
company,  consisting  of  Mr.  C.  D.  Jenkins,  an  excellent 
singer  and  delineator  of  Yankee  and  other  characters ; 
Master  John  Diamond,  the  dancer;  Francis  Lynch,  an 
orphan  vagabond,  fourteen  years  old,  whom  I  picked  up 
at  Troy,  and  a  fiddler.  My  brother-in-law,  Mr.  John 
Hallett,  preceded  us  /is  agent  and  advertiser,  and  our 
route  passed  through  Buffalo,  Toronto,  Detroit,  Chicago, 
Ottawa,  Springfield,  the  intermediate  places,  and  St. 
Louis,  where  I  took  the  steamboat  for  New  Orleans  with 
a  company  reduced  by  desertions  to  Master  Diamond 
and  the  fiddler. 

Arriving  in  New  Orleans,  January  2,  1841,  I  had  but 
$100  in  my  purse,  and  I  had  started  from  New  York 
four  months  before  with  quite  as  much  in  my  pocket. 
Excepting  some  small  remittances  to  my  family  I  had 
made  nothing  more  than  current  expenses ;  and,  when  I 
had  been  in  New  Orleans  a  fortnight,  funds  were  so  low 
that  I  was  obliged  to  pledge  my  watch  as  security  for 
my  board  bill.  But  on  the  16th,  I  received  from  the 
St.  Charles  Theatre  $500  as  my  half  share  of  Diamond's 
benefit;  the  next  night  I  had  $50;  and  the  third  night 
$479  was  my  share  of  the  proceeds  of  a  grand  dancing 
match  at  the  theatre  between  Diamond  and  a  negro 
dancer  from  Kentucky.  Subsequent  engagements  at 
Vicksburg  and  Jackson  were  not  so  successful,  but 
returning  to  New  Orleans  we  again  succeeded  admira 
bly  and  afterwards  at  Mobile.  Diamond,  however,  after 
extorting  considerable  sums  of  money  from  me,  finally 
ran  away,  and,  March  12th,  I  started  homeward  by  way 
of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Ohio. 

While  I  was  in  New  Orleans  I  made  the  acquaint- 


108          AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  LADDER 

ance  of  that  genial  man,  Tyrone  Power,  who  was  just 
concluding  an  engagement  at  the  St.  Charles  Theatre. 
In  bidding  me  farewell,  he  wished  me  every  success  and 
hoped  we  should  meet  again.  Alas,  poor  Power !  All 
the  world  knows  how  he  set  sail  from  our  shores,  and 
he  and  his  ship  were  never  seen  again.  Fanny  Ellsler 
was  also  in  New  Orleans,  and  when  I  saw  seats  in  the 
dress  circle  sold  at  an  average  of  v  four  dollars  and  one- 
half,  I  gave  her  agent,  Chevalier  Henry  Wyckoff,  great 
credit  for  exciting  public  enthusiasm  to  the  highest 
pitch  and  I  thought  the  prices  enormous.  I  did  not 
dream  then  that,  within  twelve  years,  I  should  be  selling 
tickets  in  the  same  city  for  full  five  times  that  sum. 

At  Pittsburg,  where  I  arrived  March  30th,  I  learned 
that  Jenkins,  who  had  enticed  Francis  Lynch  away 
from  me  at  St.  Louis,  was  exhibiting  him  at  the 
Museum  under  the  name  of  "Master  Diamond,"  and 
visiting  the  performance,  the  next  day  I  wrote  Jenkins 
an  ironical  review  for  which  he  threatened  suit  and 
he  actually  instigated  R.  W.  Lindsay,  from  whom  I 
hired  Joice  Heth  in  Philadelphia  in  1835,  and  whom  I 
had  not  seen  since,  though  he  was  then  residing  in 
Pittsburg,  to  sue  me  for  a  pipe  of  brandy  which,  it  was 
pretended,  was  promised  in  addition  to  the  money  paid 
him.  I  was  required  to  give  bonds  of  $500,  which, 
as  I  was  among  strangers,  I  could  not  immediately 
procure,  and  I  was  accordingly  thrown  into  jail  till  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  I  was  liberated.  The 
next  day  I  caused  the  arrest  of  Jenkins  for  trespass  in 
assuming  Master  Diamond's  name  and  reputation  for 
Master  Lynch,  and  he  was  sent  to  jail  till  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon.  Each  having  had  his  turn  at  this  amuse 
ment,  we  adjourned  our  controversy  to  New  York  where 


AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  LADDER          109 

I  beat  him.  As  for  Lindsay,  I  heard  nothing  more  of 
his  claim  or  him  till  twelve  years  afterwards  when  he 
called  on  me  in  Boston  with  an  apology.  He  was  very 
poor  and  I  was  highly  prosperous,  and  I  may  add  that 
Lindsay  did  not  lack  a  friend. 

I  arrived  in  New  York,  April  23rd,  1841,  after  an 
absence  of  eight  months ;  finding  my  family  in  good 
health,  I  resolved  once  more  that  I  would  never  again 
be  an  itinerant  showman.  Three  days  afterwards  I 
contracted  with  Kobert  Sears,  the  publisher,  for  five 
hundred  copies  of  "  Sears'  Pictorial  Illustrations  of  the 
Bible,"  at  $500,  and  accepting  the  United  States  agency, 
I  opened  an  office,  May  10th,  at  the  corner  of  Beekman 
and  Nassau  "Streets,  the  site  of  the  present  Nassau 
Bank.  I  had  had  a  limited  experience  with  that  book 
in  this  way :  When  I  was  in  Pittsburg,  an  acquaintance, 
Mr.  C.  D.  Harker,  was  complaining  that  he  had  nothing 
to  do,  when  I  picked  up  a  New  York  paper  and  saw  the 
advertisement  of  "  Sears's  Pictorial  Illustrations  of  the 
Bible,  price  $2  a  copy."  Mr.  Harker  thought  he 
could  get  subscribers,  and  I  bought  him  a  specimen 
copy,  agreeing  to  furnish  him  with  as  many  as  he 
wanted  at  $l,37/£  a  copy,  though  I  had  never  before 
seen  the  work  and  did  not  know  the  wholesale  price. 
The  result  was  that  he  obtained  eighty  subscribers  in 
two  days,  and  made  $50.  My  own  venture  in  the  work 
was  not  so  successful ;  I  advertised  largely,  had  plenty 
of  agents,  and,  in  six  months,  sold  thousands  of  copies ; 
but  irresponsible  agents  used  up  all  my  profits  and  my 
capital. 

While  engaged  in  this  business  I  once  more  leased 
Vauxhall  saloon,  opening  it  June  14th,  1841, 
employing  Mr.  John  Hallett,  my  brother-in-law,  as 


110  AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  LADDER. 

manager  under  my  direction,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
season,  September  25th,  we  had  cleared  about  two 
hundred  dollars.  This  sum  was  soon  exhausted,  and 
with  my  family  on  my  hands  and  no  employment  I  was 
glad  to  do  anything  that  would  keep  the  wolf  from  the 
door.  I  wrote  advertisements  and  notices  for  the 
Bowery  Amphitheatre,  receiving  for  the  service  four 
dollars  a  week,  which  I  was  very  glad  to  get,  and  I 
also  wrote  articles  for  the  Sunday  papers,  deriving  a  fair 
remuneration  and  managing  to  get  a  living.  But  I  was 
at  the  bottom  round  of  fortune's  ladder,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  make  an  effort  which  would  raise  me  above 
want. 

I  was  specially  stimulated  to  this  effort  by  a  letter 
which  I  received,  about  this  time,  from  my  esteemed 
friend,  Hon.  Thomas  T.  Whittlesey,  of  Danbury.  He 
held  a  mortgage  of  five  hundred  dollars  on  a  piece 
of  property  I  owned  in  that  place,  and,  as  he  was 
convinced  that  I  would  never  lay  up  anything,  he  wrote 
me  that  I  might  as  well  pay  him  then  as  ever.  This 
letter  made  me  resolve  to  live  no  longer  from  hand 
to  mouth,  but  to  concentrate  my  energies  upon  laying 
up  something  for  the  future. 

While  I  was  forming  this  practical  determination 
I  was  much  nearer  to  its  realization  than  my  most 
sanguine  hopes  could  have  predicted.  The  road  to 
fortune  was  close  by.  Without  suspecting  it,  1  was 
about  to  enter  upon  an  enterprise,  which,  while  giving 
full  scope  for  whatever  tact,  industry  and  pluck  I  might 
possess,  was  to  take  me  from  the  foot  of  the  ladder  and 
place  me  many  rounds  above. 

As  outside  clerk  for  the  Bowery  Amphitheatre  I 
J~ad  casually  learned  that  the  collection  of  curiosities 


AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  LADDER.  Ill 

comprising  Scudder's  American  Museum,  at  the  corner 
of  Broadway  and  Ann  Street,  was  for  sale.  It  belonged 
to  the  daughters  of  Mr.  Scudder,  and  was  conducted  for 
their  benefit  by  John  Furzman,  under  the  authority 
of  Mr.  John  Heath,  administrator.  The  price  asked 
for  the  entire  collection  was  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  It 
had  cost  its  founder,  Mr.  Scudder,  probably  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  and  from  the  profits  of  the  establish 
ment  he  had  been  able  to  leave  a  large  competency 
to  his  children.  The  Museum,  however,  had  been 
for  several  years  a  losing  concern,  and  the  heirs  were 
anxious  to  sell  it.  Looking  at  this  property,  I  thought 
I  saw  that  energy,  tact  and  liberality,  were  only  needed 
to  make  it  a  paying  institution,  and  I  determined  to 
purchase  it  if  possible. 

"  You  buy  the  American  Museum ! "  said  a  friend, 
who  knew  the  state  of  my  funds,  "  what  do  you  intend 
buying  it  with  ? " 

"  Brass,"  I  replied,  "  for  silver  and  gold  have  I  none." 
The  Museum  building  belonged  to  Mr.  Francis  W. 
Olmsted,  a  retired  merchant,  to  whom  I  wrote  stating 
my  desire  to  buy  the  collection,  and  that  although  I  had 
no  means,  if  it  could,  be  purchased  upon  reasonable 
credit,  I  was  confident  that  my  tact  and  experience, 
added  to  a  determined  devotion  to  business,  would  en 
able  me  to  make  the  payments  when  due.  I  therefore 
asked  him  to  purchase  the  collection  in  his  own  name  ; 
to  give  me  a  writing  securing  it  to  me  provided  I  made 
the  payments  punctually,  including  the  rent  of  his  build 
ing  ;  to  allow  me  twelve  dollars  and  a  half  a  week  on 
which  to  support  my  family ;  and  if  at  any  time  I  failed 
to  meet  the  instalment  due,  I  would  vacate  the  premises 
and  forfeit  all  that  might  have  been  paid  to  that  date. 


112  AT  THE  FOOT  QF  THE  LADDER 

"  In  fact,  Mr.  Olmsted,"  I  continued  in  my  earnestness, 
"  you  may  bind  me  in  any  way,  and  as  tightly  as  you 
please  —  only  give  me  a  chance  to  dig  out,  or  scratch 
out,  and  I  will  do  so  or  forfeit  all  the  labor  and  trouble 
I  may  have  incurred." 

In  reply  to  this  letter,  which  I  took  to  his  house  my 
self,  he  named  an  hour  when  I  could  call  on  him,  and 
as  I  was  there  at  the  exact  moment,  he  expressed  him 
self  pleased  with  my  punctuality.  He  inquired  closely 
as  to  my  habits  and  antecedents,  and  I  frankly  narrated 
my  experiences  as  a  caterer  for  the  public,  mentioning 
my  amusement  ventures  in  Vauxhall  Garden,  the  circus, 
and  in  the  exhibitions  I  had  managed  at  the  South  and 
West. 

"  Who  are  your  references'?"  he  inquired. 

"  Any  man  in  my  line,"  I  replied,  "  from  Edmund 
Simpson,  manager  of  the  Park  Theatre,  or  William 
Niblo,  to  Messrs.  Welch,  June,  Titus,  Turner,  Angevine, 
or  other  circus  or  menagerie  proprietors  ;  also  Moses  Y. 
Beach,  of  the  New  York  Sun. 

"  Can  you  get  any  of  them  to  call  on  me  ? "  he  con 
tinued. 

I  told  him  that  I  could,  and  the  next  day  my  friend 
Niblo  rode  down  and  had  an  interview  with  Mr.  Olm 
sted,  while  Mr.  Beach  and  several  other  gentlemen  also 
called,  and  the  following  morning  I  waited  upon  him 
for  his  decision. 

"  I  don't  like  your  references,  Mr.  Barnum,"  said  Mr. 
Olmsted,  abruptly,  as  soon  as  I  entered  the  room. 

I  was  confused,  and  said  "  I  regretted  to  hear  it." 

"  They  all  speak  too  well  of  you,"  he  added,  laugh 
ing  ;  "  in  fact  they  all  talk  as  if  they  were  partners  of 
yours,  and  intended  to  share  the  profits." 


AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  LADDER.          113 

Nothing  could  have  pleased  me  better.  He  then 
asked  me  what  security  I  could  offer  in  case  he  concluded 
to  make  the  purchase  for  me,  and  it  was  finally  agreed 
that,  if  he  should  do  so,  he  should  retain  the  property  till 
it  was  entirely  paid  for,  and  should  also  appoint  a  ticket- 
taker  and  accountant  (at  my  expense),  who  should  ren 
der  him  a  weekly  statement.  I  was  further  to  take  an 
apartment  hitherto  used  as  a  billiard  room  in  an  adjoin 
ing  building,  allowing  therefor,  $500  a  year,  making  a 
total  rent  of  $3,000  per  annum,  on  a  lease  of  ten  years. 
He  then  told  me  to  see  the  administrator  and  heirs  of 
the  estate,  to  get  their  best  terms,  and  to  meet  him  on 
his  return  to  town  a  week  from  that  time. 

I  at  once  saw  Mr.  John  Heath,  the  administrator,  and 
his  price  was  $15,000.  I  offered  $10,000,  payable  in 
seven  annual  instalments,  with  good  security.  After 
several  interviews,  it  was  finally  agreed  that  I  should 
have  it  for  $12,000,  payable  as  above  —  possession  to 
be  given  on  the  15th  November.  Mr.  Olmsted  assented 
to  this,  and  a  morning  was  appointed  to  draw  and  sign 
the  writings.  Mr.  Heath  appeared,  but  said  he  must 
decline  proceeding  any  farther  in  my  case,  as  he  had 
sold  'the  collection  to  the  directors  of  Peale's  Museum 
(an  incorporated  institution),  for  $15,000,  and  had  re 
ceived  $1,000  in  advance. 

I  was  shocked,  and  appealed  to  Mr.  Heath's  honor. 
He  said  that  he  had  signed  no  writing  with  me ;  was  in 
no  way  legally  bound,  and  that  it  was  his  duty  to  do  the 
best  he  could  for  the  heirs.  Mr.  Olmsted  was  sorry, 
but  could  not  help  me ;  the  new  tenants  would  not  re 
quire  him  to  incur  any  risk,  and  my  matter  was  at  an 
end. 

Of  course,  I  immediately  informed  myself  as  to  the 


114          AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  LADDER 

character  of  Peale's  Museum  company.  It  proved  to 
be  a  band  of  speculators  who  had  bought  Peale's  col 
lection  for  a  few  thousand  dollars,  expecting  to  join  the 
American  Museum  with  it,  issue  and  sell  stock  to  the 
amount  of  $50,000,  pocket  $30,000  profits,  and  permit 
the  stockholders  to  look  out  for  themselves. 

I  went  immediately  to  several  of  the  editors,  including 
Major  M.  M.  Noah,  M.  Y.  Beach,  my  good  friends 
West,  Herrick  and  Ropes,  of  the  Atlas,  and  others,  and 
stated  my  grievances.  "  Now,"  said  I,  "  if  you  will 
grant  me  the  use  of  your  columns,  I'll  blow  that  specu 
lation  sky-high."  They  all  consented,  and  I  wrote  a 
large  number  of  squibs,  cautioning  the  public  against 
buying  the  Museum  stock,  ridiculing  the  idea  of  a  board 
of  broken-down  bank  directors  engaging  in  the  exhibi 
tion  of  stuffed  monkey  and  gander  skins ;  appealing  to 
the  case  of  the  Zoological  Institute,  which  had  failed 
by  adopting  such  a  plan  as  the  one  now  proposed ;  and 
finally  I  told  the  public  that  such  a  speculation  would 
be  infinitely  more  ridiculous  than  JJickens's  "  Grand 
United  Metropolitan  Hot  Muffin  and  Crumpet-baking 
and  Punctual  Delivery  Company." 

The  stock  was  as  "  dead  as  a  herring ! "  I  then  went 
to  Mr.  Heath  and  asked  him  when  the  directors  were  to 
pay  the  other  $14,000.  "  On  the  26th  day  of  Decem 
ber,  or  forfeit  the  $1,000  already  paid,"  was  the  reply. 
I  assured  him  that  they  would  never  pay  it,  that  they 
could  not  raise  it,  and  that  he  would  ultimately  find  him 
self  with  the  Museum  collection  on  his  hands,  and  if 
once  I  started  off  with  an  exhibition  for  the  South,  I 
would  not  touch  the  Museum  at  any  price.  "  Now," 
said  I,  "if  you  will  agree  with  me  confidentially,  that  in 
case  these  gentlemen  do  not  pay  you  on  the  26th  tf 


AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  LADDER.  115 

December,  I  may  have  it  on  the  27th  for  $12,000,  I 
will  run  the  risk,  and  wait  in  this  city  until  that  date." 
He  readily  agreed  to  the  proposition,  but  said  he  was 
sure  they  would  not  forfeit  their  $1,000. 

"  Very  well,"  said  I ;  "all  I  ask  of  you  is,  that  this 
arrangement  shall  not  be  mentioned."  He  assented. 
"  On  the  27th  day  of  December,  at  ten  o'clock  A.  M.,  I 
wish  you  to  meet  me  in  Mr.  Olmsted's  apartments,  pre 
pared  to  sign  the  writings,  provided  this  incorporated 
company  do  not  pay  you  $14,000  on  the  26th."  He 
agreed  to  this,  and  by  my  request  put  it  in  writing. 

From  that  moment  I  felt  that  the  Museum  was  mine. 
I  saw  Mr.  Olmsted,  and  told  him  so.  He  promised 
secrecy,  and  agreed  to  sign  the  documents  if  the  other 
parties  did  not  meet  their  engagement. 

This  was  about  November  15th,  and  I  continued  my 
shower  of  newspaper  squibs  at  the  new  company,  which 
could  not  sell  a  dollar's  worth  of  its  stock.  Meanwhile, 
if  any  one  spoke  to  me  about  the  Museum,  I  simply 
replied  that  I  had  lost  it. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM. 

A  TRAP  SET  FOR  ME  —  I  CATCH  THE  TRAPPERS  —  I  BECOME  PROPRIETOR  OB 
THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  —  HISTORY  OF  THE  ESTABLISHMENT  —  HARD  WORK 
AND  COLD  DINNERS  —  ADDITIONS  TO  THE  MUSEUM  —  EXTRAORDINARY  ADVER 
TISING —  BARNUM'S  BRICK-MAN  —  EXCITING  PUBLIC  CURIOSITY  —  INCIDENTS 

AND  ANECDOTES  —  A  DRUNKEN  ACTOR  —  IMITATIONS  OF  THE  ELDER  BOOTH  — 
PLEASING  MY  PATRONS  —  SECURING  TRANSIENT  NOVELTIES  —  LIVING  CURIOSI 
TIES —  MAKING  PEOPLE  TALK  —  A  WILDERNESS  OF  WONDERS  —  NIAGARA  FALLS 
WITH  REAL  WATER  —  THE  CLUB  THAT  KILLED  COOK  —  SELLING  LOUIS  GAY- 
LORD  CLARK  —  THE  FISH  WITH  LEGS  —  THE  FEJEE  MERMAID  —  HOW  IT  CAME 
INTO  MY  POSSESSION  — THE  TRUE  STORY  OF  THAT  CURIOSITY  —  JAPANESE 
MANUFACTURE  OF  FABULOUS  ANIMALS  —  THE  USE  I  MADE  OF  THE  MERMAID 
—  WHOLESALE  ADVERTISING  AGAIN  —  THE  BALCONY  BAND  —  DRUMMOND 
LIGHTS. 

MY  newspaper  squib  war  against  the  Peale  combina 
tion  was  vigorously  kept  up  ;  when  one  morning,  about 
the  first  of  December,  I  received  a  letter  from  the  Sec 
retary  of  that  company  (now  calling  itself  the  "  New 
York  Museum  Company,")  requesting  me  to  meet  the 
directors  at  the  Museum  on  the  following  Monday  morn 
ing.  I  went,  and  found  the  directors  in  session.  The 
venerable  president  of  the  board,  who  was  also  the  ex- 
president  of  a  broken  bank,  blandly  proposed  to  hire 
me  to  manage  the  united  museums,  and  though  I  saw 
that  he  merely  meant  to  buy  my  silence,  I  professed  to 
entertain  the  proposition,  and  in  reply  to  an  inquiry  as 
to  what  salary  I  should  expect,  I  specified  the  sum  of 
$3,000  a  year.  This  was  at  once  acceded  to,  the  salary 
to  begin  January  1,  1842,  and  after  complimenting  me 
on  my  ability,  the  president  remarked :  "  Of  course,  Mr. 
Burnum,  we  shall  have  no  more  of  your  squibs  through 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM.  117 

the  newspapers  "  —  to  which  I  replied  that  I  should 
"  ever  try  to  serve  the  interests  of  my  employers,"  and 
I  took  my  leave. 

It  was  as  clear  to  me  as  noonday  that  after  buying 
my  silence  so  as  to  appreciate  their  stock,  these  direct 
ors  meant  to  sell  out  to  whom  they  could,  leaving  me 
to  look  to  future  stockholders  for  my  salary.  They 
thought,  no  doubt,  that  they  had  nicely  entrapped 
me,  but  I  knew  I  had  caught  them. 

For,  supposing  me  to  be  out  of  the  way,  and  having 
no  other  rival  purchaser,  these  directors  postponed  the 
advertisement  of  their  stock  to  give  people  time  to 
forget  the  attacks  I  had  made  on  it,  and  they  also 
took  their  own  time  for  paying  the  money  promised 
to  Mr.  Heath,  December  26th  —  indeed,  they  did  not 
even  call  on  him  at  the  appointed  time.  But  on 
the  following  morning,  as  agreed,  I  was  promptly  and 
hopefully  at  Mr.  Olmstead's  apartments  with  my  legal 
adviser,  at  half-past  nine  o'clock ;  Mr.  Heath  came  with 
his  lawyer  at  ten,  and  before  two  o'clock  that  day  I  was 
in  formal  possession  of  the  American  Museum.  My 
first  managerial  act  was  to  write  and  despatch  the 
following  complimentary  note  : 

AMERICAN  MUSEUM,  NEW  YORK,  Dec.  27,  1841. 

To  the  President  and  Directors  of  the  New  York  Museum  : 

GENTLEMEN  :— It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  inform  you  that  you  are  placed 
upon  the  Free  List  of  this  establishment  until  further  notice. 

P.  T.  BABNUM,  Proprietor. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  the  "  President  of  the 
New  York  Museum"  was  astounded,  and  when  he 
called  upon  Mr.  Heath,  and  learned  that  I  had  bought 
and  was  really  in  possession  of  the  American  Museum, 
lie  was  indignant.  He  talked  of  prosecution,  and 
6 


118  THE  AMEKICAN  MUSEUM. 

demanded  the  f  L,000  paid  on  his  agreement,  but  he  did 
not  prosecute,  and  he  justly  forfeited  his  deposit  money. 

And  now  that  I  was  proprietor  and  manager  of  the 
American  Museum  I  had  reached  a  new  epoch  in  my 
career  which  I  felt  was  the  beginning  of  better  days, 
though  the  full  significance  of  this  important  step  I  did 
not  see.  I  was  still  in  the  show  business,  but  in  a  settled, 
substantial  phase  of  it,  that  invited  industry  and  enter 
prise,  and  called  for  ever  earnest  and  ever  heroic 
endeavor.  Whether  I  should  sink  or  swim  depended 
wholly  upon  my  own  energy.  I  must  pay  for  the 
establishment  within  a  stipulated  time,  or  forfeit  it  with 
whatever  I  had  paid  on  account.  I  meant  to  make  it 
my  own,  and  brains,  hands  and  every  effort  were 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  Museum. 

The  nucleus  of  this  establishment,  Scudder's  Museum, 
was  formed  in  1810,  the  year  in  which  I  was  born.  It 
was  begun  in  Chatham  Street,  and  was  afterwards 
transferred  to  the  old  City  Hall,  and  from  small  begin 
nings,  by  purchases,  and  to  a  considerable  degree  by 
presents,  it  had  grown  to  be  a  large  and  valuable 
collection.  People  in  all  parts  of  the  country  had  sent 
in  relics  and  rare  curiosities ;  sea  captains,  for  years, 
had  brought  and  deposited  strange  things  from  foreign 
lands  ;  and  besides  all  these  gifts,  I  have  no  doubt  that 
the  previous  proprietor  had  actually  expended,  as  was 
stated,  $50,000  in  making  the  collection.  No  one 
could  go  through  the  halls,  as  they  were  when  they  came 
under  my  proprietorship,  and  see  one-half  there  was 
worth  seeing  in  a  single  day;  and  then,  as  I  always 
justly  boasted  afterwards,  no  one  could  visit  my  Museum 
and  go  away  without  feeling  that  he  had  received  the 
full  worth  of  his  money.  In  looking  over  the  immense 


.THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM.  119 

collection,  the  accumulation  of  so  many  years,  I  saw 
that  it  was  only  necessary  to  properly  present  its  merits 
to  the  public,  to  make  it  the  most  attractive  and 
popular  place  of  resort  and  entertainment  in  the  United 
States. 

Valuable  as  the  collection  was  when  I  bought  it,  it 
was  only  the  beginning  of  the  American  Museum  as  I 
made  it.  In  my  long  proprietorship  I  considerably 
more  than  doubled  the  permanent  attractions  and 
curiosities  of  the  establishment.  In  1842, 1  bought  and 
added  to  my  collection  the  entire  contents  of  Peale's 
Museum ;  in  1850,  I  purchased  the  large  Peale  collec 
tion  in  Philadelphia ;  and  year  after  year,  I  bought 
genuine  curiosities,  regardless  of  cost,  wherever  I  could 
find  them,  in  Europe  or  America. 

At  the  very  outset,  I  was  determined  to  deserve 
success.  My  plan  of  economy  included  the  intention 
to  support  my  family  in  New  York  on  $600  a  year,  and 
my  treasure  of  a  wife  not  only  gladly  assented,  but 
was  willing  to  reduce  the  sum  to  $400,  if  necessary. 
Some  six  months  after  I  had  bought  the  Museum,  Mr. 
Olmsted  happened  in  at  my  ticket-office  at  noon  and 
found  me  eating  a  frugal  dinner  of  cold  corned  beef  and 
bread,  which  I  had  brought  from  home. 

"  Is  this  the  way  you  eat  your  dinner? "  he  asked. 

"  I  have  not  eaten  a  warm  dinner,  except  on  Sun 
days,"  I  replied,  "since  I  bought  the  Museum,  and 
I  never  intend  to,  on  a  week  day,  till  I  am  out  of 
debt." 

"  Ah !  "  said  he,  clapping  me  on  the  shoulder,  "  you 
are  safe,  and  will  pay  for  the  Museum  before  the  year  is 
out." 

And  he  was  right,  for  within  twelve  months  I  was  in 


120  THE  AMEEICAN  MUSEUM. 

full  possession  of  the  property  as  my  own  and  it  was 
entirely  paid  for  from  the  profits  of  the  business. 

In  1865,  the  space  occupied  for  my  Museum  pur 
poses  was  more  than  double  what  it  was  in  18i2.  The 
Lecture  Room,  originally  narrow,  ill-contrived  and  incon 
venient,  was  so  enlarged  and  improved  that  it  became 
one  of  the  most  commodious  and  beautiful  amusement 
halls  in  the  City  of  New  York.  At  first,  my  attractions 
and  inducements  were  merely  the  collection  of  curiosi 
ties  by  day,  and  an  evening  entertainment,  consisting  of 
such  variety  performances  as  were  current  in  ordinary 
shows.  Then  Saturday  afternoons,  and,  soon  after 
wards,  Wednesday  afternoons  were  devoted  to  entertain 
ments  and  the  popularity  of  the  Museum  grew  so  rap 
idly  that  I  presently  found  it  expedient  and  profitable  to 
open  the  great  Lecture  Room  every  afternoon,  as  well 
as  every  evening,  on  every  week-day  in  the  year.  The 
first  experiments  in  this  direction,  more  than  justified 
my  expectations,  for  the  day  exhibitions  were  always 
more  thronged  than  those  of  the  evening.  Of  course  I 
made  the  most  of  the  holidays,  advertising  extensively 
and  presenting  extra  inducements ;  nor  did  attractions 
elsewhere  seem  to  keep  the  crowd  from  coming  to  the 
Museum.  On  great  holidays,  I  gave  as  many  as  twelve 
performances  to  as  many  different  audiences. 

By  degrees  the  character  of  the  stage  performances 
was  changed.  The  transient  attractions  of  the  Museum 
were  constantly  diversified,  and  educated  dogs,  industri 
ous  fleas,  automatons,  jugglers',  ventriloquists,  living 
statuary,  tableaux,  gipsies,  Albinoes,  fat  boys,  giants, 
dwarfs,  rope-dancers,  live  "  Yankees,"  pantomime, 
instrumental  music,  singing  and  dancing  in  great 
variety,  dioramas,  panoramas,  models  of  Niagara,  Dub- 


THE  AMEEICAN  MUSEUM.  121 

lin,  Paris,  and  Jerusalem  ;  Hannington's  dioramas  of 
the  Creation,  the  Deluge,  Fairy  Grotto,  Storm  at  Sea ; 
the  first  English  Punch  and  Judy  in  this  country,  Italian 
Fantoccini,  mechanical  figures,  fancy  glass-blowing, 
knitting  machines  and  other  triumphs  in  the  mechanical 
arts ;  dissolving  views,  American  Indians,  who  enacted 
their  warlike  and  religious  ceremonies  on  the  stage,  — 
these,  among  others,  were  all  exceedingly  successful. 

I  thoroughly  understood  the  art  of  advertising^ 
not  merely  by  means  of  printer's  ink,  which  I  have 
always  used  freely,  and  to  which  I  confess  myself 
so  much  indebted  for  my  success,  but  by  turning  every 
possible  circumstance  to  my  account.  It  was  my  mono 
mania  to  make  the  Museum  the  town  wonder  and  town 
talk.  I  often  seized  upon  an  opportunity  by  instinct, 
even  before  I  had  a  very  definite  conception  as  to  how 
it  should  be  used,  and  it  seemed,  somehow,  to  mature 
itself  and  serve  my  purpose.  As  an  illustration,  one 
morning  a  stout,  hearty-looking  man,  came  into  my 
ticket-office  and  begged  some  money.  I  asked  him 
why  lie  did  not  work  and  earn  his  living  ?  He  replied 
that  he  could  get  nothing  to  do  and  that  he  would 
be  glad  of  any  job  at  a  dollar  a  day.  I  handed  him  a 
quarter  of  a  dollar,  told  him  to  go  and  get  his  breakfast 
and  return,  and  I  would  employ  him  at  light  labor  at  a 
dollar  and  a  half  a  day.  When  he  returned  I  gave  him 
five  common  bricks. 

"  Now,"  said  I,  "go  and  lay  a  brick  on  the  sidewalk 
at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Ann  Street;  another 
close  by  the  Museum ;  a  third  diagonally  across  the 
way  at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Vesey  Street,  by 
the  As  tor  House  :  put  down  the  fourth  on  the  sidewalk 
in  front  of  St  Paul's  Church,  opposite;  then,  with 


122  THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM 

the  fifth  brick  in  hand,  take  up  a  rapid  march  from  one 
point  to  the  other,  making  the  circuit,  exchanging  your 
brick  at  every  point,  and  say  nothing  to  any  one." 

"  What  is  the  object  of  this  ?  "  inquired  the  man. 

"  No  matter,"  I  replied ;  "all  you  need  to  know  is 
that  it  brings  you  fifteen  cents  wages  per  hour.  It  is  a 
bit  of  my  fun,  and  to  assist  me  properly  you  must  seem 
to  be  as  deaf  as  a  post ;  wear  a  serious  countenance ; 
answer  no  questions ;  pay  no  attention  to  any  one ;  but 
attend  faithfully  to  the  work  and  at  the  end  of  every 
hour  by  St.  Paul's  clock  show  this  ticket  at  the  Museum 
door ;  enter,  walking  solemnly  through  every  hall  in 
the  building ;  pass  out,  and  resume  your  work." 

With  the  remark  that  it  was  "  all  one  to  him,  so  long 
as  he  could  earn  his  living,"  the  man  placed  his  bricks 
and  began  his  round.  Half  an  hour  afterwards,  at 
least  five  hundred  people  were  watching  his  mysterious 
movements.  He  had  assumed  a  military  step  and  bear 
ing,  and  looking  as  sober  as  a  judge,  he  made  no 
response  whatever  to  the  constant  inquiries  as  to  the 
object  of  his  singular  conduct.  At  the  end  of  the  first 
hour,  the  sidewalks  in  the  vicinity  were  packed  with 
people  all  anxious  to  solve  the  mystery.  The  man,  as 
directed,  then  went  into  the  Museum,  devoting  fifteen 
minutes  to  a  solemn  survey  of  the  halls,  and  afterwards 
returning  to  his  round.  This  was  repeated  every  hour 
till  sundown  and  whenever  the  man  went  into  the 
Museum  a  dozen  or  more  persons  would  buy  tickets  and 
follow  him,  hoping  to  gratify  their  curiosity  in  regard 
to  the  purpose  of  his  movements.  This  was  continued 
for  several  days  —  the  curious  people  who  followed  the 
man  into  the  Museum  considerably  more  than  paying 
his  wages  —  till  finally  the  policeman,  to  whom  I  had 


THE  AMEKICA3*  MUSEUM.  123 

imparted  my  object,  complained  that  the  obstruction  of 
the  sidewalk  by  crowds  had  become  so  serious  that  I 
must  call  in  my  "  brick  man."  This  trivial  incident 
excited  considerable  talk  and  amusement;  it  adver 
tised  me ;  and  it  materially  advanced  my  purpose  of 
making  a  lively  corner  near  the  Museum. 

I  am  tempted  to  relate  some  of  the  incidents  and 
anecdotes  which  attended  my  career  as  owner  and  man 
ager  of  the  Museum.  The  stories  illustrating  merely  my 
introduction  of  novelties  would  more  than  fill  this  book, 
but  I  must  make  room  for  a  few  of  them. 

An  actor,  named  La  Rue,  presented  himself  as  an 
imitator  of  celebrated  histrionic  personages,  including 
Macready,  Forrest,  Kemble,  the  elder  Booth,  Kean, 
Hamblin,  and  others.  Taking  him  into  the  green-room 
for  a  private  rehearsal,  and  finding  his  imitations  excel 
lent,  I  engaged  him.  For  three  nights  he  gave  great 
satisfaction,  but  early  in  the  fourth  evening  he  staggered 
into  the  Museum  so  drunk  that  he  could  hardly  stand, 
and  in  half  an  hour  he  must  be  on  the  stage  !  Calling 
an  assistant,  we  took  La  Eue  between  us,  and  marched 
him  up  Broadway  as  far  as  Chambers  Street,  and  back 
to  the  lower  end  of  the  Park,  hoping  to  sober  him.  At 
this  point  we  put  his  head  under  a  pump,  and  gave  him 
a  good  ducking,  with  visible  beneficial  effect, —  then  a 
walk  around  the  Park,  and  another  ducking,  —  when  he 
assured  me  that  he  should  be  able  to  give  his  imitations 
"  to  a  charm." 

"  You  drunken  brute,"  said  I,  "  if  you  fail,  and  disap 
point  my  audience,  I  will  throw  you  out  of  the  window." 

He  declared  that  he  was  "  all  right,"  and  I  led  him 
behind  the  scenes,  where  I  waited  with  considerable 
trepidation  to  watch  his  movements  on  the  stage.  He 
began  by  saying : 


124  THE  AMEEICAK  MUSEUM. 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen :  I  will  now  give  you  an  imi 
tation  of  Mr.  Booth,  the  eminent  tragedian." 

His  tongue  was  thick,  his  language  somewhat  incohe 
rent,  and  I  had  great  misgivings  as  he  proceeded ;  but 
as  no  token  of  disapprobation  came  from  the  audience, 
I  began  to  hope  he  would  go  through  with  his  parts 
without  exciting  suspicion  of  his  condition.  But  before 
he  had  half  finished  his  representation  of  Booth,  in  the 
soliloquy  in  the  opening  act  of  Richard  III.,  the  house 
discovered  that  he  was  very  drunk,  and  began  to  hiss. 
This  only  seemed  to  stimulate  him  to  make  an  effort  to 
appear  sober,  which,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  only  made 
matters  worse,  and  the  hissing  increased.  I  lost  all 
patience,  and  going  on  the  stage  and  taking  the  drunken 
fellow  by  the  collar,  I  apologized  to  the  audience,  as 
suring  them  that  he  should  not  appear  before  them 
again.  I  was  about  to  march  him  off,  when  he  stepped 
to  the  front,  and  said : 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen :  Mr.  Booth  often  appeared 
on  the  stage  in  a  state  of  inebriety,  and  I  was  simply 
giving  you  a  truthful  representation  of  him  on  such 
occasions.  I  beg  to  be  permitted  to  proceed  with  my 
imitations." 

The  audience  at  once  supposed  it  was  all  right,  and 
cried  out,  "  go  on,  go  on" ;  which  he  did,  and  at  every 
imitation  of  Booth,  whether  as  Bi chard-,  Shylock,  or  Sir 
Giles  Overreach,  he  received  a  hearty  round  of  applause. 
I  was  quite  delighted  with  his  success ;  but  when  he 
came  to  imitate  Forrest  and  Hamblin,  necessarily  repre 
senting  them  as  drunk  also,  the  audience  could  be  no 
longer  deluded ;  the  hissing  was  almost  deafening,  and 
I  was  forced  to  lead  the  actor  off.  It  was  his  last  ap 
pearance  on  my  stage. 


THE  AMEEICAK  MUSEUM.  125 

From  the  first,  it  was  my  study  to  give  my  patrons  a 
superfluity  of  novelties,  and  for  this  I  make  no  special 
claim  to  generosity,  for  it  was  strictly  a  business  trans 
action.  To  send  away  my  visitors  more  than  douhly 
satisfied,  was  to  induce  them  to  come  again  and  to  bring 
their  friends.  I  meant  to  make -people  talk  about  my 
Museum ;  to  exclaim  over  its  wonders  ;  to  have  men 
and  women  all  over  the  country  say :  "  There  is  not 
another  place  in  the  United  States  where  so  much  can 
be  seen  for  twenty-five  cents  as  in  Barnum's  American 
Museum."  It  was  the  best  advertisement  I  could  possibly 
have,  and  one  for  which  I  could  afford  to  pay.  I  knew, 
too,  that  it  was  an  honorable  advertisement,  because 
it  was  as  deserved  as  it  was  spontaneous.  And  so,  in 
addition  to  the  permanent  collection  and  the  ordinary 
attractions  of  the  stage,  I  labored  to  keep  the  Museum 
well  supplied  with  transient  novelties ;  I  exhibited 
such  living  curiosities  as  a  rhinoceros,  giraffes,  grizzly 
bears,  ourang-outangs,  great  serpents,  and  whatever  else 
of  the  kind  money  would  buy  or  enterprise  secure. 

Knowing  that  a  visit  to  my  varied  attractions  and  gen 
uine  curiosities  was  wrell  worth  to  any  one  three  times 
the  amount  asked  as  an  entrance  fee,  I  confess  that  I 
was  not  so  scrupulous,  as  possibly  I  should  have  been, 
about  the  methods  used  to  call  public  attention  to  my 
establishment.  The  one  end  aimed  at  was  to  make  men 
and  women  think  and  talk  and  wonder,  and,  as  a  practi 
cal  result,  go  to  the  Museum.  This  was  my  constant 
study  and  occupation. 

It  was  the  world's  way  then,  as  it  is  now,  to  excite 

•the  community  with  flaming  posters,  promising  almost 

everything  for  next  to  nothing.     I  confess  that  I  took  no 

pains  to  set  my  enterprising  fellow-citizens  a  better  ex- 

6* 


126  THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM. 

ample.  I  fell  in  with  the  world's  way  ;•  and  if  my  "  puff 
ing"  was  more  persistent,  my  advertising  more  audacious, 
my  posters  more  glaring,  my  pictures  more  exaggerated, 
my  flags  more  patriotic  and  my  transparencies  more 
brilliant  than  they  would  have  been  under  the  manage 
ment  of  my  neighbors,  it  was  not  because  I  had  less 
scruple  than  they,  but  more  energy,  far  more  ingenuity, 
and  a  better  foundation  for  such  promises.  In  all  this, 
if  I  cannot  be  justified,  I  at  least  find  palliation  in  the 
fact  that  I  presented  a  wilderness  of  wonderful,  instruct 
ive  and  amusing  realities  of  such  evident  and  marked 
merit  that  I  have  yet  to  learn  of  a  single  instance  where 
a  visitor  went  away  from  the  Museum  complaining  that 
he  had  been  defrauded  of  his  money.  Surely  this  is  an 
offset  to  any  eccentricities  to  which  I  may  have  resorted 
to  make  my  establishment  widely  known. 

Very  soon  after  introducing  my  extra  exhibitions,  I 
purchased  for  $200,  a  curiosity  which  had  much  merit 
and  some  absurdity.  It  was  a  model  of  Niagara  Falls, 
in  which  the  merit  was  that  the  proportions  of  the  great 
cataract,  the  trees,  rocks,  and  buildings  in  the  vicinity 
were  mathematically  given,  while  the  absurdity  was  in 
introducing  "  real  water "  to  represent  the  falls.  Yet 
the  model  served  a  purpose  in  making  "  a  good  line  in 
the  bill "  —  an  end  in  view  which  was  never  neglected 
—  and  it  helped  to  give  the  Museum  notoriety.  One 
day  I  was  summoned  to  appear  before  the  Board  of  Cro- 
ton  Water  Commissioners,  and  was  informed  that  as 
I  paid  only  $25  per  annum  for  water  at  the  Museum, 
I  must  pay  a  large  extra  compensation  for  the  supply 
for  my  Niagara  Falls.  I  begged  the  board  not  to  be 
lieve  all  that  appeared  in  the  papers,  nor  to  interpret 
my  show-bills  too  literally,  and  assured  them  that  a 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM.  127 

single  barrel  of  water,  if  my  pump  was  in  good  order, 
would  furnish  my  falls  for  a  month. 

It  was  even  so,  for  the  water  flowed  into  a  reservoir 
behind  the  scenes,  and  was  forced  back  with  a  pump 
over  the  falls.  On  one  occasion,  Mr.  Louis  Gaylord 
Clark,  the  editor  *  of  the  Knickerbocker ',  came  to 
view  my  museum,  and  introduced  himself  to  me.  As 
I  was  quite  anxious  that  my  establishment  should 
receive  a  first-rate  notice  at  his  hands,  I  took  pains  to 
show  him  everything  of  interest,  except  the  Niagan 
Falls,  which  I  feared  would  prejudice  him  against  mv 
entire  show.  But  as  we  passed  the  room  the  pump 
was  at  work,  warning,  me  that  the  great  cataract  was 
in  full  operation,  and  Clark,  to  my  dismay,  insisted 
upon  seeing  it. 

"  Well,  Barnum,  I  declare,  this  is  quite  a  new  idea; 
I  never  saw  the  like  before." 

"  No  I "  I  faintly  inquired,  with  something  like  re 
viving  hope. 

"  No,"  said  Clark,  "  and  I  hope,  with  all  my  heart , 
I  never  shall  again." 

But  the  Knickerbocker  spoke  kindly  of  me,  and 
refrained  from  all  allusions  to  "  the  Cataract  of  Niagara, 
with  real  water."  Some  months  after,  Clark  came  in 
breathless  one  day,  and  asked  me  if  I  had  the  club  with 
which  Captain  Cook  was  killed?  As  I  had  a  lot  of 
Indian  war  clubs  in  the  collection  of  aboriginal  curiosi 
ties,  and  owing  Clark  something  on  the  old  Niagara 
Falls  account,  I  told  him  I  had  the  veritable  club  with 
documents  which  placed  its  identity  beyond  question, 
and  I  showed  him  the  warlike  weapon. 

"  Poor  Cook !  poor  Cook !  "  said  Clark,  musingly. 
"  Well,  Mr.  Barnum,"  he  continued,  with  great  gravity, 


128  THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM. 

at  the  same  time  extending  his  hand  and  giving  mine  a 
hearty  shake,  "  I  am  really  very  much  obliged  to  you 
for  your  kindness.  I  had  an  irrepressible  desire  to  see 
the  club  that  killed  Captain  Cook,  and  I  felt  quite  con 
fident  you  could  accommodate  me.  I  have  been  in  half 
a  dozen  smaller  museums,  and  as  they  all  had  it,  I  was 
sure  a  large  establishment  like  yours  would  not  be  with 
out  it." 

A  few  weeks  afterwards,  I  wrote  to  Clark  that  if  he 
would  come  to  my  office  I  was  anxious  to  consult  him 
on  a  matter  of  great  importance.  He  came,  and  I 
said : 

"  Now,  I  do  n't  want  any  of  your  nonsense,  but  I  want 
your  sober  advice." 

He  assured  me  that  he  would  serve  me  in  any  way  in 
his  power,  and  I  proceeded  to  tell  him  about  a  wonder 
ful  fish  from  the  Nile,  offered  to  me  for  exhibition  at 
$100  a  week,  the  owner  of  which  was  willing  to 
forfeit  $5.000,  if,  within  six  weeks,  this  fish  did  not 
pass  through  a  transformation  in  which  the  tail  would 
disappear  and  the  fish  would  then  have  legs. 

"  Is  it  possible  !  "  asked  the  astonished  Clark. 

I  assured  him  that  there  was  no  doubt  of  it. 

Thereupon  he  advised  me  to  engage  the  wonder 
at  any  price ;  that  it  would  startle  the  naturalists,  wake 
up  the  whole  scientific  world,  draw  in  the  masses,  and 
make  §20,000  for  the  Museum.  I  told  him  that  I 
thought  well  of  the  speculation,  only  I  did  not  like  the 
name  of  the  fish. 

"  That  makes  no  difference  whatever,"  said  Clark ; 
^  what  is  the  name  of  the  fish?" 

"  Tadpole,"  I  replied  with  becoming  gravity,  "  but  it 
is  vulgarly  called  {  polly  wog. ' " 


THE  AMEEICAN  MUSEUM.  129 

"  Sold,  by  thunder !  "  exclaimed  Clark,  and  he  left. 

A  curiosity,  which  in  an  extraordinary  degree  served 
my  ever-present  object  of  extending  the  notoriety  of  the 
Museum  was  the  so-called  "  Fejee  Mermaid."  It  has 
been  supposed  that  this  mermaid  was  manufactured  by 
my  order,  but  such  is  not  the  fact.  I  was  known  as  a 
successful  showman,  and  strange  things  of  every  sort 
were  brought  to  me  from  all  quarters  for  sale  or  exhibi 
tion.  In  the  summer  of  1842,  Mr.  Moses  Kimball,  of 
the  Boston  Museum,  came  to  New  York  and  showed 
me  what  purported  to  be  a  mermaid.  He  had  bought 
it  from  a  sailor  whose  father,  a  sea  captain,  had  pur 
chased  it  in  Calcutta,  in  1822,  from  some  Japanese 
sailors.  I  may  mention  here  that  this  identical  pre 
served  specimen  was  exhibited  in  London  in  1822,  as  I 
fully  verified  in  my  visit  to  that  city  in  1858,  for  I  found 
an  advertisement  of  it  in  an  old  file  of  the  London 
Times,  and  a  friend  gave  me  a  copy  of  the  Mirror,  pub 
lished  by  J.  Limbird,  335*Strand,  November  9,  1822, 
containing  a  cut  of  this  same  creature  and  two  pages  of 
letter-press  describing  it,  together  with  an  account  of 
other  mermaids  said  to  have  been  captured  in  different 
parts  of  the  world.  The  Mirror  stated  that  this 
specimen  was  "  the  great  source  of  attraction  in  the 
British  metropolis,  and  three  to  four  hundred  people 
every  day  pay  their  shilling  to  see  it." 

This  was  the  curiosity  which  had  fallen  into  Mr. 
Kimb all's  hands.  I  requested  my  naturalist's  opinion  of 
the  genuineness  of  the  animal  and  he  said  he  could  not 
conceive  how  it  could  have  been  manufactured,  for  he 
never  saw  a  monkey  with  such  peculiar  teeth,  arms, 
hands,  etc.,  and  he  never  saw  a  fish  with  such  peculiar 
fins;  but  he  did  not  believe  in  mermaids.  Neverthe- 


130  THE  AMERICAN  MUS^YM. 

less,  I  concluded  to  hire  this  curiosity  and  to  modify  the 
general  incredulity  as  to  the  possibility  of  the  existence 
of  mermaids,  and  to  awaken  curiosity  to  see  and 
examine  the  specimen,  I  invoked  the  potent  power  of 
printer's  ink. 

Since  Japan  has  been  opened  to  the  outer  world 
it  has  been  discovered  that  certain  "  artists "  in  that 
country  manufacture  a  great  variety  of  fabulous  animals, 
with  an  ingenuity  and  mechanical  perfection  well 
calculated  to  deceive.  No  doubt  my  mermaid  was  a 
specimen  of  this  curious  manufacture.  I  used  it  mainly 
to  advertise  the  regular  business  of  the  Museum, 
and  this  effective  indirect  advertising  is  the  only  feature 
I  can  commend,  in  a  special  show  of  which,  I  confess,  I 
am  not  proud.  I  might  have  published  columns  in  the 
newspapers,  presenting  and  praising  the  great  collection 
of  genuine  specimens  of  natural  history  in  my  exhi 
bition,  and  they  would  not  have  attracted  nearly  so 
much  attention  as  did  a  few  paragraphs  about  the  mer 
maid  which  was  only  a  small  part  of  my  show.  News 
papers  throughout  the  country  copied  the  mermaid 
notices,  for  they  were  novel  and  caught  the  attention  of 
readers.  Thus  was  the  fame  of  the  Museum,  as  well 
as  the  mermaid,  wafted  from  one  end  of  the  land  to  the 
other.  I  was  careful  to  keep  up  the  excitement,  for 
I  knew  that  every  dollar  sown  in  advertising  would 
return  in  tens,  and  perhaps  hundreds,  in  a  future 
harvest,  and  after  obtaining  all  the  notoriety  possible  by 
advertising  and  by  exhibiting  the  mermaid  at  the 
Museum,  I  sent  the  curiosity  throughout  the  country, 
directing  my  agent  to  everywhere  advertise  it  as 
"From  Barnum's  Great  American  Museum,  New 
York."  The  effect  was  immediately  felt ;  money  flowed 


THE  AMEEICAN  MUSEUM.  131 

in  rapidly  and   was  readily  expended  in  more  adver 
tising. 

While  I  expended  money  liberally  for  attractions  for 
the  inside  of  my  Museum,  and  bought  or  hired  every 
thing  curious  or  rare  which  was  offered  or  could  be 
found,  I  was  prodigal  in  my  outlays  to  arrest  or  arouse 
public  attention.  When  I  became  proprietor  of  the 
establishment,  there  were  only  the  words :  "  American 
Museum,"  to  indicate  the  character  of  the  concern ; 
there  was  no  bustle  or  activity  about  the  place ;  no 
posters  to  announce  what  was  to  be  seen  ;  —  the  whole 
exterior  was  as  dead  as  the  skeletons  and  stuffed  skins 
within.  My  experiences  had  taught  me  the  advantages 
of  advertising.  I  printed  whole  columns  in  the  papers, 
setting  forth  the  wonders  of  my  establishment.  Old 
"  fogies"  opened  their  eyes  in  amazement  at  a  man  who 
could  expend  hundreds  of  dollars  in  announcing  a  show 
of  "  stuffed  monkey  skins";  but  these  same  old  fogies 
paid  their  quarters,  nevertheless,  and  when  they  saw 
the  curiosities  and  novelties  in  the  Museum  halls,  they, 
like  all  other  visitors,  were  astonished  as  well  as  pleased, 
and  went  home  and  told  their  friends  and  neighbors  and 
thus  assisted  in  advertising  my  business. 

For  other  and  not  less  effective  advertising,  —  flags 
and  banners,  began  to  adorn  the  exterior  of  the  build 
ing.  I  kept  a  band  of  music  on  the  front  balcony  and 
announced  "  Free  Music  for  the  Million."  People  said. 
"  Well,  that  Barnum  is  a  liberal  fellow  to  give  us  music 
for  nothing,"  and  they  flocked  down  to  hear  my  out 
door  free  concerts.  But  I  took  pains  to  select  and 
maintain  the  poorest  band  I  could  find  —  one  whose 
discordant  notes  would  drive  the  crowd  into  the  Museum, 
out  of  earshot  of  my  outside  orchestra.  Of  course, 


132  THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM. 

the  music  was  poor.  When  people  expect  to  get 
"  something  for  nothing''  they  are  sure  to  be  cheated, 
and  generally  deserve  to  be,  and  so,  no  doubt,  some  of 
my  out-door  patrons  were  sorely  disappointed ;  but 
when  they  came  inside  and  paid  to  be  amused  and 
instructed,  I  took  care  to  see  that  they  not  only  received 
the  full  worth  of  their  money,  but  were  more  than  sat 
isfied.  Powerful  Drummond  lights  were  placed  at  the 
top  of  the  Museum,  which,  in  the  darkest  night,  threw  a 
flood  of  light  up  and  down  Broadway,  from  the  Battery 
to  Niblo's,  that  would  enable  one  to  read  a  newspaper 
in  the  street.  These  were  the  first  Drummond  lights 
ever  seen  in  New  York,  and  they  made  people  talk, 
and  so  advertise  my  Museum. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

THE  ROAD  TO  EICHES. 

THE     MOST     POPULAR     PLACE     OF     AMUSEMENT     EN'     THE      WORLD— THE      MORAL 

JYRAMA —  REFORMING  THE  ABUSES  OF  THE  STAGE — FAMOUS  ACTOKS  AND 
ACTRESSES  AT  THE  MUSEUM  —  ADDING  TO  THE  SALOONS —  AFTERNOON  AND 
HOLIDAY  PERFORMANCES  —  FOURTH  OF  JULY  FLAGS  —  THE  MUSEUM  CONNECT 
ED  WITH  8T  PAUL'S  —  VICTORY  OVER  THE  VESTRYMEN  —  THE  EGRESS  —  ST. 
PATRICK'S  DAY  EN  THE  MORNING  — A  WONDERFUL  ANIMAL,  THE 
"AIGRZSS"  —  INPOURING  OF  MONEY  —  ZOOLOGICAL  ERUPTION — THE  CITY 
ASTOUNDED  —  BABY  SHOWS,  AND  THEER  OBJECT  —  FLOWER,  BIRD,  DOG  AND 

POULTRY      SHOWS  — GRAND       FREE     BUFFALO       HUNT      EN      HOBOKEN  —  N.       P. 

WILLIS  ~- THE  WOOLLY  HORSE — WHERE  HE  CAME  FROM  —  COLONEL  BENTON 
BRATEN  —  PURPOSE  OF  THE  EXHTBmON —  AMERICAN  INDIANS  —  P.  T.  BARNUM 
EXHIBITED  —  A  CURIOUS  SPINSTER  —  THE  TOUCHING  STORY  OF  CHARLOTTE 
TEMPLE  —  SERVICES  EN  THE  LECTURE  ROOM  —  A  FINANCIAL  VIEW  OF  TUB 
MUSEUM  — AX  "AWFUL  RICH  MAN." 

THE  American  Museum  was  the  ladder  by  which  I 
rose  to  fortune.  Whenever  I  cross  Broadway  at  the 
head  of  Vesey  Street,  and  see  the  Herald  building  and 
that  gorgeous  pile,  the  Park  Bank,  my  mind's  eye 
recalls  that  less  solid,  more  showy  edifice  which  once 
occupied  the  site  and  was  covered  with  pictures  of  all 
manner  of  beasts,  birds  and  creeping  things,  and  in 
which  were  treasures  that  brought  treasures  and 
notoriety  and  pleasant  hours  to  me.  The  Jenny  Lind 
enterprise  was  more  audacious,  more  immediately 
remunerative,  and  I  remember  it  with  a  pride  which  I 
do  not  attempt  to  conceal  :  but  instinctively  I  often  go 
back  and  live  over  again  the  old  days  of  my  struggles 
and  triumphs  in  the  American  Museum. 

The  Museum  was  always  open  at  sunrise,  and  this 
was  so  well  known  throughout  the  country  that  stran- 


134  THE  ROAD  TO  RICHES. 

gers  coming  to  the  city  would  often  take  e>  tour  through 
my  halls  before  going  to  breakfast  or  to  their  hotels.  I 
do  not  believe  there  was  ever  a  more  truly  popular 
place  of  amusement.  I  frequently  compared  the 
annual  number  of  visitors  with  the  number  officially 
reported  as  visiting  (free  of  charge),  the  British 
Museum  in  London,  and  my  list  was  invariably  the 
larger.  Nor  do  I  believe  that  any  man  or  manager 
ever  labored  more  industriously  to  please  his  patrons. 
I  furnished  the  most  attractive  exhibitions  which  money 
could  procure ;  I  abolished  all  vulgarity  and  profanity 
from  the  stage,  and  I  prided  myself  upon  the  fact  that 
parents  and  children  could  attend  the  dramatic  perform 
ances  in  the  so-called  Lecture  Room,  and  not  be 
shocked  or  offended  by  anything  they  might  see  or  hear  ; 
I  introduced  the  "  Moral  Drama,"  producing  such 
plays  as  "The  Drunkard,"  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin." 
"  Moses  in  Egypt,"  "  Joseph  and  His  Brethren,"  and 
occasional  spectacular  melodramas  produced  with  great 
care  and  at  considerable  outlay. 

Mr.  Sothern,  who  has  since  attained  such  wide-spread 
celebrity  at  home  and  abroad  as  a  character  actor,  was 
a  member  of  my  dramatic  company  for  one  or  two  sea 
sons.  Mr.  Barney  Williams  also  began  his  theatrical 
career  at  the  Museum,  occupying,  at  first,  quite  a  sub 
ordinate  position,  at  a  salary  of  ten  dollars  a  week. 
During  the  past  twelve  or  fifteen  years,  I  presume  his 
weekly  receipts,  when  he  has  acted,  have  been  nearly 
$3,000.  The  late  Miss  Mary  Gannon  also  commenced 
at  the  Museum,  and  many  more  actors  and  actresses  of 
celebrity  have  been,  from  time  to  time,  engaged  there. 
What  was  once  the  small  Lecture  Room  was  converted 
into  a  spacious  and  beautiful  theatre,  extending  over 


THE  HO  AD  TO  ETCHES.  135 

the  lots  adjoining  the  Museum,  and  capable  of  holding 
about  three  thousand  persons.  The  saloons  were  greatly 
multiplied  and  enlarged,  and  the  "  egress  "  having  been 
made  to  work  to  perfection,  on  holidays  I  advertised 
Lecture  Room  performances  every  hour  through  the 
afternoon  and  evening,  and  consequently  the  actors  and 
actresses  were  dressed  for  the  stage  as  early  as  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  did  not  resume  their  ordi 
nary  clothes  till  ten  o'clock  at  night.  In  these  busy  days 
the  meals  for  the  company  were  brought  in  and  served 
in  the  dressing-rooms  and  green-rooms,  and  the  com 
pany  always  received  extra  pay. 

Leaving  nothing  undone  that  would  bring  Barnum 
and  his  Museum  before  the  public,  I  often  engaged 
some  exhibition,  knowing  that  it  would  directly  bring 
no  extra  dollars  to  the  treasury,  but  hoping  that  it  would 
incite  a  newspaper  paragraph  which  would  float  through 
the  columns  of  the  American  press  and  be  copied,  per 
haps,  abroad,  and  my  hopes  in  this  respect  were  often 
gratified. 

I  confess  that  I  liked  the  Museum  mainly  for  the 
opportunities  it  afforded  for  rapidly  making  money. 
Before  I  bought  it,  I  weighed  the  matter  well  in  my 
mind,  and  was  convinced  that  I  could  present  to  the 
American  public  such  a  variety,  quantity  and  quality  of 
amusement,  blended  with  instruction,  "  all  for  twenty- 
five  cents,  children  half  price,"  that  my  attractions 
would  be  irresistible,  and  my  fortune  certain.  I  myself 
relished  a  higher  grade  of  amusement,  and  I  was  a  fre 
quent  attendant  at  the  opera,  first-class  concerts,  lectures, 
and  the  like  ;  but  I  worked  for  the  million,  and  I  knew 
the  only  way  to  make  a  million  from  my  patrons  was  to 
give  them  abundant  and  wholesome  attractions  for  a 
small  sum  of  money. 


136  THE  EOAD  TO  BICHES. 

About  the  first  of  July,  1842,  I  began  to  make 
arrangements  for  extra  novelties,  additional  perform 
ances,  a  large  amount  of  extra  advertising,  and  an  out 
door  display  for  the  "  Glorious  Fourth."  Large  parti 
colored  bills  were  ordered,  transparencies  were  prepared, 
the  free  band  of  music  was  augmented  by  a  trumpeter, 
and  columns  of  advertisements,  headed  with  large  capi 
tals,  were  written  and  put  on  file. 

I  wanted  to  run  out  a  string  of  American  flags  across 
the  street  on  that  day,  for  I  knew  there  would  be  thou 
sands  of  people  passing  the  Museum  with  leisure  and 
pocket-money,  and  I  felt  confident  that  an  unusual 
display  of  national  flags  would  arrest  their  patriotic 
attention,  and  bring  many  of  them  within  my  walls. 
Unfortunately  for  my  purpose,  St.  Paul's  Church  stood 
directly  opposite,  and  there  was  nothing  to  which  I 
could  attach  my  flag-rope,  unless  it  might  be  one  of  the 
trees  in  the  church-yard.  I  went  to  the  vestrymen  for 
permission  to  so  attach  my  flag  rope  on  the  Fourth  of 
July,  and  they  were  indignant  at  what  they  called  my 
"  insulting  proposition " ;  such  a  concession  would  be 
"  sacrilege."  I  plied  them  with  arguments,  and  ap 
pealed  to  their  patriotism,  but  in  vain. 

Returning  to  the  Museum  I  gave  orders  to  have  the 
string  of  flags  made  ready,  with  directions  at  daylight 
on  the  Fourth  of  July  to  attach  one  end  of  the  rope  to 
one  of  tbe  third  story  windows  of  the  Museum,  and  the 
other  end  to  a  tree  in  St.  Paul's  churchyard.  The  great 
day  arrived,  and  my  orders  were  strictly  followed.  The 
flags  attracted  great  attention,  and  before  nine  o'clock  I 
have  no  doubt  that  hundreds  of  additional  visitors  were 
drawn  by  this  display  into  the  Museum.  By  half-past 
nine  Broadway  was  thronged,  and  about  that  time  two 


THE  BO  AD  TO  RICHES.  137 

gentlemen  in  a  high  state  of  excitement  rushed  into  my 
office,  announcing  themselves  as  injured  and  insulted 
vestrymen  of  St.  Paul's  Church. 

"Keep  cool,  gentlemen,"  said  I;  "I  guess  it  is  all 
right." 

"Eight!"  indignantly  exclaimed  one  of  them,  "do 
you  think  it  is  right  to  attach  your  Museum  to  our 
Church  ?  We  will  show  you  what  is  '  right '  and  what 
is  law,  if  we  live  till  to-morrow  ;  those  flags  must  come 
down  instantly." 

"  Thank  you,"  I  said,  "  but  let  us  not  be  in  a  hurry. 
I  will  go  out  with  you  and  look  at  them,  and  I  guess 
we  can  make  it  all  right." 

Going  into  the  street  I  remarked :  "  Really,  gentle 
men,  these  flags  look  very  beautiful ;  they  do  not  injure 
your  tree ;  I  always  stop  my  balcony  music  for  your  ac 
commodation  whenever  you  hold  week-day  services,  and 
it  is  but  fair  that  you  should  return  the  favor." 

"  We  could  indict  your  '  music,'  as  you  call  it,  as  a 
nuisance,  if  we  chose,"  answered  one  vestryman,  "  and 
now  I  tell  you  that  if  these  flags  are  not  taken  down 
in  ten  minutes,  I  will  cut  them  down." 

His  indignation  was  at  the  boiling  point.  The  crowd 
in  the  street  was  dense,  and  the  angry  gesticulation  of 
the  vestryman  attracted  their  attention.  I  saw  there 
was  no  use  in  trying  to  parley  with  him  or  coax  him, 
arid  so,  assuming  an  angry  air,  I  rolled  up  my  sleeves, 
i  and  exclaimed,  in  a  loud  tone,  — 

"  Well,  Mister,  I  should  just  like  to  see  you  dare 
to  cut  down  the  American  flag  on  the  Fourth  of  July  ; 
you  must  be  a  '  Britisher '  to  make  such  a  threat  as 
that ;  but  I'll  show  you  a  thousand  pairs  of  Yankee 
hands  in  two  minutes,  if  you  dare  to  attempt  to  take 


138  THE  BO  AD  TO  RICHES. 

down  the  stars  and  stripes  on  this  great  birth-day 
of  American  freedom !  " 

"  What's  that  John  Bull  a-saying,"  asked  a  brawny 
fellow,  placing  himself  in  front  of  the  irate  vestryman  ; 
"  Look  here,  old  fellow,"  he  continued,  "  if  you  want  to 
save  a  whole  bone  in  your  body,  you  had  better  slope, 
and  never  dare  to  talk  again  about  hauling  down 
the  American  flag  in  the  city  "of  New  York." 

Throngs  of  excited,  exasperated  men  crowded  around, 
and  the  vestryman,  seeing  the  effect  of  my  ruse, 
smiled  faintly  and  said,  "  Oh,  of  course  it  is  all  right," 
and  he  and  his  companion  quietly  edged  out  of  the 
crowd.  The  flags  remained  up  all  day  and  all  night. 
The  next  morning  I  sought  the  vanquished  vestrymen 
and  obtained  formal  permission  to  make  this  use  of  the 
tree  on  following  holidays,  in  consideration  of  my 
willingness  to  arrest  the  doleful  strains  of  my  discord 
ant  balcony  band  whenever  services  were  held  on  week 
days  in  the  church. 

On  that  Fourth  of  July,  at  one  o'clock,  P.  M.,  my 
LIuseum  was  so  densely  crowded  that  we  could  admit 
no  more  visitors,  and  we  were  compelled  to  stop  the  sale 
of  tickets.  I  pushed  through  the  throng  until  I  reached 
the  roof  of  the  building,  hoping  to  find  room  for  a  few 
more,  but  it  was  in  vain.  Looking  down  into  the  street 
it  was  a  sad  sight  to  see  the  thousands  of  people 
who  stood  ready  with  their  money  to  enter  the  Museum, 
but  who  were  actually  turned  away.  It  was  exceed 
ingly  harrowing  to  my  feelings.  Eushing  down  stairs, 
I  told  my  carpenter  and  his  assistants  to  cut  through 
the  partition  and  floor  in  the  rear  and  to  put  in  a 
temporary  flight  of  stairs  so  as  to  let  out  people  by  that 
egress  into  Ann  Street.  By  three  o'clock  the  egress 


THE  BO  AD  TO  RICHES.  139 

was  opened  and  a  few  people  were  passed  down  the 
new  stairs,  while  a  corresponding  number  came  in 
at  the  front.  But  I  lost  a  large  amount  of  money  that 
day  by  not  having  sufficiently  estimated  the  value  of 
my  own  advertising,  and  consequently  not  having  pro 
vided  for  the  thousands  who  had  read  my  announce 
ments  and  seen  my  outside  show,  and  had  taken  the 
first  leisure  day  to  visit  the  Museum.  I  had  learned 
one  lesson,  however,  and  that  was  to  have  the  egress 
ready  on  future  holidays. 

Early  in  the  following  March,  I  received  notice  from 
some  of  the  Irish  population  that  they  meant  to  visit 
me  in  great  numbers  on  "  St.  Patrick's  day  in  the  morn 
ing."  "  All  right,"  said  I  to  my  carpenter,  "  get  your 
egress  ready  for  March  17  ";  and  I  added,  to  my  assistant 
manager:  "If  there  is  much  of  a  crowd,  don't  let  a 
single  person  pass  out  at  the  front,  even  if  it  were  St. 
Patrick  himself;  put  every  man  out  through  the  egress 
in  the  rear."  The  day  came,  and  before  noon  we  were 
caught  in  the  same  dilemma  as  we  were  on  the  Fourth  of 
July ;  the  Museum  was  jammed  and  the  sale  of  tickets  was 
stopped.  I  went  to  the  egress  and  asked  the  sentinel 
how  many  hundreds  had  passed  out] 

"  Hundreds,"  he  replied,  "  why  only  three  persons 
have  gone  out  by  this  way  and  they  came  back,  saying 
that  it  was  a  mistake  and  begging  to  be  let  in  again." 

"What  does  this  mean?"  I  inquired ;  "  surely  thou 
sands  of  people  have  been  all  over  the  Museum  since 
they  came  in." 

"  Certainly,"  was  the  reply,  "  but  after  they  have 
gone  from  one  saloon  to  another  and  have  been  on 
every  floor,  even  to  the  roof,  they  come  down  and 
travel  the  same  route  over  again." 

i. 


110  THE  KOAD  TO  RICHES. 

At  this  time  I  espied  a  tall  Irish  woman  with  two 
good-sized  children  whom  I  had  happened  to  notice 
when  they  came  in  early  in  the  morning." 

"  Step  this  way,  madam,"  said  I  politely,  "yon  will 
never  be  able  to  get  into  the  street  by  the  front  door 
without  crushing  these  dear  children.  We  have  opened 
a  large  egress  here  and  yon  can  pass  by  these  rear  stairs 
into  Ann  Street  and  thus  avoid  all  danger;" 

"  Sure,"  replied  tl^e  woman>  indignantly,  "  an'  I'm  not 
going  out  at  all,  at  all,  nor  the  children  aither,  for  we've 
brought  our  dinners  and  we  are  going  to  stay  all  day." 

Further  investigation  showed  that  pretty  much  all 
<*f  my  visitors  had  brought  their  dinners  with  the 
evident  intention  of  literally  "  making  a  day  of  it."  No 
one  expected  to  go  home  till  night ;  the  building  was 
overcrowded,  and  meanwhile  hundreds  were  waiting  at 
/he  front  entrance  to  get  in  when,  they  could.  In 
despair  I  sauntered  upon  the- stage  behind  the  scenes, 
biting  my  lips  with  vexation,  when  I  happened  to  see 
the  scene-painter  at  work  -and  a  happy  thought  struck 
me  :  "  Here,"  I  exclaimed,  "  take  a  piece  of  canvas  four 
feet  square,  and  paint  on  it,  as  soon  as  you  can,  in  large 
letters  — 

SSF-TO  THE  EGRESS." 

Seizing  his  brush  he  finished  the  sign  in  fifteen  minutes, 
and  I  directed  the  carpenter  to  nail  it  ov.er  the  door 
leading  to  the  back  stairs..  .He  did  so,  and  as  the 
crowd,  after  '  making  the  entire  tour  of  the  establish^ 
ment,  came  pouring  down  the  main  stairs  from  the 
third  story, -.they  stopped  and  looked  at  the  new  sign, 
while  some  of  them  read  audibly:  "  To  the  Aigress." 

"  The  Aigress,"  said  others,  "  sure:  that's  an  animal 
we  have  n't  seen,''  and  the  throng  began  to  pour  down 


THE  KOAD  TO  RICHES. 

the  back  stairs  only  to  find  that  the  "  Aigress  "  was  the 
elephant,  and  that  the  elephant  was  all  out  o'  doors,  or 
so  much  of  it  as  began  with  Ann  Street.  Meanwhile, 
I  began  to  accommodate  those  who  had  long  been 
waiting  with  their  money  at  the  Broadway  entrance. 

Notwithstanding  my  continual  outlays  for  additional 
novelties  and  attractions,  or  rather  I  might  say,  because 
of  these  outlays,  money  poured  in  upon  me  so  rapidly 
that  I  was  sometimes  actually  embarrassed  to  devise 
means  to  carry  out  my  original  plan  for  laying  out  the 
entire  profits  of  the  first  year  in  advertising.  I  meant 
to  sow  first  and  reap  afterwards.  I  finally  hit  upon  a 
plan  which  cost  a  large  sum,  and  that  was  to  prepare 
large  oval  oil  paintings  to  be  placed  between  the  windows 
of  the  entire  building,  representing  nearly  every  impor 
tant  animal  known  in  zoology.  These  paintings  were 
put  on  the  building  in  a  single  night,  and  so  complete 
a  transformation  in  the  appearance  of  an  edifice  is 
seldom  witnessed.  When  the  living  stream  rolled 
down  Broadway  the  next  morning  and  reached  the 
Astor  House  corner,  opposite  the  Museum,  it  seemed 
to  meet  with  a  sudden  check.  I .  never  before  saw 
so  many  open  mouths  and  astonished  eyes.  .Some 
people  were  puzzled  to  know  what  it  all  meant ;  some 
looked  as  if  they  thought  it  was  an  enchanted  palace 
that  had  suddenly  sprung  up ;  others  exclaimed, 
"Well,  the  animals  all  seem  to  have  'broken  out'  last 
night,"  and  hundreds  came  in  to  see  how  the  establish 
ment  suryived  the  sudden  eruption.  At  all  events, 
from  that  morning  the  Museum  receipts  took  a  jump 
forward  of  nearly  a  hundred  dollars  a  day,  and  they 
never  fell  back  again.  Strangers  would  .look  at  this 
great  pictorial  magazine  and  argue  that  an  establish- 


THE  ROAD  TO  RICHES. 

ment  with  so  many  animals  on  the  outside  must  have 
something  on  the  inside,  and  in  they  would  go  to  see. 
Inside,  I  took  particular  pains  to  please  and  astonish 
these  strangers,  and  when  they  went  back  to  the 
country,  they  carried  plenty  of  pictorial  bills  and 
lithographs,  which  I  always  lavishly  furnished,  and  thus 
the  fame  of  Barnum's  Museum  became  so  widespread, 
that  people  scarcely  thought  of  visiting  the  city 
without  going  to  my  establishment. 

In  fact,  the  Museum  had  become  an  established  insti 
tution  in  the  land.  Now  and  then  some  one  would  cry 
out  "  humbug"  and  "  charlatan,"  but  so  much  the  bet 
ter  for  me.  It  helped  to  advertise  me,  and  I  was 
willing  to  bear  the  reputation  —  and  I  engaged  queer 
curiosities,  and  even  monstrosities,  simply  to  add  to  the 
notoriety  of  the  Museum. 

Dr.  Valentine  will  be  remembered  by  many  as  a  man 
who  gave  imitations  and  delineations  of  eccentric  charac 
ters.  He  was  quite  a  card  at  the  Museum  when  I  first 
purchased  that  establishment,  and  before  I  introduced 
dramatic  representations  into  the  "  Lecture  Room." 
His  representations  were  usually  given  as  follows  :  A 
small  table  was  placed  in  about  the  centre  of  the  stage  ; 
a  curtain  reaching  to  the  floor  covered  the  front  and  two 
ends  of  the  table  ;  under  this  table,  on  little  shelves  and 
hooks,  were  placed  caps,  hats,  coats,  wigs,  moustaches, 
curls,  cravats,  and  shirt  collars,  and  all  sorts  of  gear  for 
changing  the  appearance  of  the  upper  portion  of  the 
person.  Dr.  Valentine  would  seat  himself  in  a  chair 
behind  the  table,  and  addressing  his  audience,  would 
state  his  intention  to  represent  different  peculiar  char 
acters,  male  and  female,  including  the  Yankee  tin 
peddler  ;  "  Tabitha  Twist,"  a  maiden  lady  ;  "  Sam  Slick, 


THE  ROAD  TO  EICHES.  143 

Jr.,"  the  precocious  author ;  "  Solomon  Jenkins,"  a  crusty 
old  bachelor,  with  a  song  ;  the  down-east  school-teacher 
with  his  refractory  pupils,  with  many  other  characters  ; 
and  he  simply  asked  the  indulgence  of  the  audience  for 
a  few  seconds  between  each  imitation,  to  enable  him  to 
stoop  down  behind  the  table  and  "  dress  "  each  character 
appropriately. 

The  Doctor  himself  was  a  most  eccentric  character. 
He  was  very  nervous,  and  was  always  fretting  lest 
his  audience  should  be  composed  of  persons  who 
would  not  appreciate  his  "  imitations."  During  one  of 
his  engagements  the  Lecture  Room  performances  con 
sisted  of  negro  minstrelsy  and  Dr.  Valentine's  imita 
tions.  As  the  minstrels  gave  the  entire  first  half  of 
the  entertainment,  the  Doctor  would  post  himself  at  the 
entrance  to  the  Museum  to  study  the  character  of  the 
visitors  from  their  appearance.  He  fancied  that  he  was 
a  great  reader  of  character  in  this  way,  and  as  most 
of  my  visitors  were  from  the  country,  the  Doctor,  after 
closely  perusing  their  faces,  would  decide  that  they 
were  not  the  kind  of  persons  who  would  appreciate 
his  efforts,  and  this  made  him  extremely  nervous. 
When  this  idea  was  once  in  his  head,  it  took  complete 
possession  of  the  poor  Doctor,  and  worked  him  up  into 
a  nervous  excitement  which  it  was  often  painful  to 
behold.  Every  country-looking  face  was  a  dagger  to 
the  Doctor,  for  he  had  a  perfect  horror  of  exhibiting  to 
an  unappreciative  audience.  When  so  much  excited 
that  he  could  stand  at  the  door  no  longer,  the  disgusted 
Doctor  would  come  into  my  office  and  pour  out  his 
lamentations  in  this  wise  : 

"  There,  Barnum,  I  never  saw  such  a  stupid  lot  of 
country  bumpkins  in  my  life.  I  shan't  be  able  to  get  a 


144  THE  EOAD  TO  INCHES. 

smile  out  of  them.  I  had  rather  be  horse-whipped 
than  attempt  to  satisfy  an  audience  who  have  not 
got  the  brains  to  appreciate  me.  Sir,  mine  is  a  highly 
intellectual  entertainment,  and  none  but  refined  and 
educated  persons  can  comprehend  it." 

"  Oh,  I  think  you  will  make  them  laugh  some, 
Doctor,"  I  replied. 

"  Laugh,  sir,  laugh  !  why,  sir,  they  have  no  laugh  in 
them,  sir  ;  and  if  they  had,  your  devilish  nigger  min 
strels  would  get  it  all  out  of  them  before  I  com 
menced." 

"  Do  n't  get  excited,  Doctor,"  I  said ;  "  you  will  please 
the  people." 

"Impossible,  sir!  I  was  a  fool  to  ever  permit  my 
entertainment  to  be  mixed  up  with  that  of  nigger  sing 


ers." 


"  But  you  could  not  give  an  ,entire  entertainment  sat 
isfactorily  to  the  public  ;  they  want  more,  variety." 

"  Then  you  should  have  got  something ,  more  refined, 
sir.  Why,  one  of  those  cursed  nigger  breakdowns 
excites  your  audience  so  they  don't  want  to  hear  a  word 
from  me.  At  all  events,  I  ought  to  commence  the  enter 
tainment  and  let  the  niggers  finish  up.  I  tell  you,  Mr. 
Barnum,  I  won't  stand  it !  I  would  rather  go  to  the 
poor-house.  I  won't  stay  here  over  a  fortnight  longer ! 
It  is  killing  me  !  " 

}  In  this  excited  state  the  Doctor  would  go  upon  the 
stage,  dressed  very  neatly  in  a  suit  of  black.  Address 
ing  a  few  pleasant  words  to  the  audience,  he  would 
then  take  a  seat  behind  his  little  table,  and  with  abroad 
smile  covering  his  countenance  would  ask  the  audience 
to  excuse  him  a  few  seconds,  and  he  would  appear  as 
"Tabitha  Twist,"  a  literary  spinster  of .  fifty-five.  On 


THE  BO  AD  TO  RICHES.  145 

these  occasions  I  was  usually  behind  the  scenes,  stand 
ing  at  one  of  the  wings  opposite  the  Doctor's  table, 
where  I  could  see  and  hear  all  that  occurred  "behind 
the  curtain."  The  moment  the  Doctor  was  down  behind 
the  table,  a  wonderful  change  came  over  that  smiling 
countenance. 

"  Blast  this  infernal,  stupid  audience!  they  would 
not  laugh  to  save  the  city  of  New  York ! "  said  the 
Doctor,  while  he  rapidly  slipped  on  a  lady's  cap  and  a 
pair  of  long  curls.  Then,  while  arranging  a  lace 
handkerchief  around  his  shoulders,  he  would  grate 
his  teeth  and  curse  the  Museum,  its  manager,  the 
audience  and  everybody  else.  The  instant  the  hand 
kerchief  was  pinned,  the  broad  smile  would  come  upon 
his  face,  and  up  would  go  his  head  and  shoulders  show 
ing  to  the  audience  a  rollicking  specimen  of  a  good- 
natured  old  maid. 

"  How  do  you  do,  ladies  and  gentlemen  ?  You  all  know 
me,  Tabitha  Twist,  the  happiest  maiden  in  the  village ; 
always  laughing.  Now,  I'll  sing  you  one  of  my  pret 
tiest  songs." 

The  mock  maiden  would  then  sing  a   lively,  funny 
ditty,  followed  by  faint  applause,  and  down  would  bob 
the  head  behind  the  table  to  prepare  for  a  presentation   , 
of  "  Sam  Slick,  junior." 

^  "  Curse  such  a  set  of  fools"  (off  goes  the  cap,  fol 
lowed  by  the  curls).  "  They  think  it's  a  country  Sunday 
school "  (taking  off  the  lace  handkerchief).  "  I  expect 
they  will  hiss  me  next,  the  donkeys  "  (on  goes  a  light 
wig  of  long,  flowing  hair).  "  I  wish  the  old  Museum 
was  sunk  in  the  Atlantic "  (puts  on  a  Yankee  round- 
jacket,  and  broadbrimmed  hat).  "  I  never  will  be  caught 
in  this  infernal  place,  curse  it;"  up  jump  head  and 


14:6  t       CCHE  ROAD  TO  RICHES, 

shoulders  of  the  Yankee,  and  Sam  Slick,  junior,  sings 
out  a  merry  — 

"Ha!  ha!  why,  folks,  how  de  dew.  Darn  glad  to 
&ee  you,  by  hokey ;  I  came  down  here  to  have  lots  of 
fun,  for  you  know  I  always  believe  we  must  laugh  and 
grow  fat." 

After  five  minutes  of  similar  rollicking  nonsense, 
down  would  bob  the  head  again,  and  the  cursing, 
swearing,  tearing,  and  teeth-grating  would  commence, 
and  continue  till  the  next  character  appeared  to  the 
audience,  bedecked  with  smiles  and  good-humor. 

On  several  occasions  I  got  up  "  Baby  shows,"  at 
which  I  paid  liberal  prizes  for  the  finest  baby,  the 
fattest  baby,  the  handsomest  twins,  for  triplets,  and  so 
on.  I  always  gave  several  months'  notice  of  these 
intended  shows  and  limited  the  number  of  babies  at 
each  exhibition  to  one  hundred.  Long  before  the 
appointed  time,  the  list  would  be  full  and  I  have  known 
many  a  fond  mother  to  weep  bitterly  because  the  time 
for  application  was  closed  and  she  could  not  have  the 
opportunity  to  exhibit  her  beautiful  baby.  These  shows 
were  as  popular  as  they  were  unique,  and  while  they 
paid  in  a  financial  point  of  view,  my  chief  object  in 
getting  them  up  was  to  set  the  newspapers  to  talking 
about  me,  thus  giving  another  blast  on  the  trumpet 
which  I  always  tried  to  keep  blowing  for  the  Museum. 
Flower  shows,  dog  shows,  poultry  shows  and  bird  shows, 
were  held  at  intervals  in  my  establishment  and  in  each 
instance  the  same  end  was  attained  as  by  the  baby 
shows.  I  gave  prizes  in  the  shape  of  medals,  money 
and  diplomas  and  the  whole  came  back  to  me  four-fold 
in  the  shape  of  advertising. 

There  was  great  difficulty,  however,  in  awarding  the 


THE  BO  AD  TO  BICHE&,  147 

principal  prize  of  $100  at  the  baby  shows.  Every 
mother  thought  her  own  baby  the  brightest  and  best,  and 
confidently  expected  the  capital  prize. 

For  where  was  ever  seen  the  mother 
Would  give  her  baby  for  another? 

Not  foreseeing  this  when  I  first  stepped  into  the 
expectant  circle  and  announced  in  a  matter  of  fact  way 
that  a  committee  of  ladies  had  decided  upon  the  baby  of 
Mrs.  So  and  So  as  entitled  to  the  leading  prize,  I  was 
ill-prepared  for  the  storm  of  indignation  that  arose  on 
every  side.  Ninety-nine  disappointed,  and  as  they 
thought,  deeply  injured,  mothers  made  common  cause 
and  pronounced  the  successful  little  one  the  meanest, 
homeliest  baby  in  the  lot,  and  roundly  abused  me  and  my 
committee  for  our  stupidity  and  partiality.  "Very 
well,  ladies,"  said  I  in  the  first  instance,  "  select  a  com 
mittee  of  your  own  and  I  will  give  another  $100  prize 
to  the  baby  you  shall  pronounce  to  be  the  best  specimen." 
This  was  only  throwing  oil  upon  flame ;  the  ninety-nine 
confederates  were  deadly  enemies  from  the  moment  and 
no  new  babies  were  presented  in  competition  for  the 
second  prize.  Thereafter,  I  took  good  care  to  send  in 
a  written  report  and  did  not  attempt  to  announce  the 
prize  in  person. 

At  the  first  exhibition  of  the  kind,  there  was  a  vague, 
yet  very  current  rumor,  that  in  the  haste  of  departure 
from  the  Museum  several  young  mothers  had  exchanged 
babies  (for  the  babies  Avere  nearly  all  of  the  same  age 
and  were  generally  dressed  alike)  and  did  not  discover 
the  mistake  till  they  arrived  home  and  some  such  con 
versation  as  this  occurred  between  husband  and  wife : 

"  Did  our  baby  take  the  prize  ?  " 

"  No !  the  darling  was  cheated  out  of  it." 


148  THE  KO AD  TO  RICHES. 

"  Well,  why  did  n't  you  bring  home  the  same  baby  you 
carried  to  the  Museum  ]  " 

I  am  glad  to  say  that  I  could  not  trace  this  cruel 
rumor  to  an  authentic  source. 

In  June  1843,  a  herd  of  yearling  buffaloes  was  on 
exhibition  in  Boston.  I  bought  the  lot,  brought  them 
to  New  Jersey,  hired  the  race  course  at  Hoboken,  char 
tered  the  ferry-boats  for  one  day,  and  advertised  that  a 
hunter  had  arrived  with  a  herd  of  buffaloes  —  I  was 
careful  not  to  state  their  age  —  and  that  August  3 1st 
there  would  be  a  "  Grand  Buffalo  Hunt "  on  the  Hobo- 
ken  race  course  —  all  persons  to  be  admitted  free  of 
charge. 

The  appointed  day  was  warm  and  delightful,  and  no 
less  than  twenty-four  thousand  people  crossed  the  North 
River  in  tl;e  ferry-boats  to  enjoy  the  cooling  breeze  and 
to  see  the  "  Grand  Buffalo  Hunt."  The  hunter  was 
dressed  as  an  Indian,  and  mounted  on  horseback ;  he 
proceeded  to  show  how  the  wild  buffalo  is  captured 
wTith  a  lasso,  but  unfortunately  the  yearlings  would  not 
run  till  the  crowd  gave  a  great  shout,  expressive  at  once 
of  derision  and  delight  at  the  harmless  humbug.  This 
shout  started  the  young  animals  into  a  weak  gallop  and 
the  lasso  was  duly  thrown  over  the  head  of  the  largest 
calf.  The  crowd  roared  with  laughter,  listened  to  my 
balcony  band,  which  I  also  furnished  "  free,"  and  then 
started  for  New  York,  little  dreaming  who  was  the 
author  of  this  sensation,  or  what  was  its  object. 

Mr.  N.  P.  Willis,  then  editor  of  the  Home  Journal, 
wrote  an  article  illustrating  the  perfect  good  nature  with 
which  the  American  public  submit  to  a  clever  humbug. 
He  said  that  he  went  to  Hoboken  to  witness  the  Buffalo 
Hunt.  It  was  nearly  four  o'clock  when  the  boat  left 


THE  ROAD  TO  KICHES. 

the  foot  of  Barclay  Street,  and  it  was  so  densely 
crowded  that  many  persons  were  obliged  to  stand  on  the 
railings  and  hold  on  to  the  awning  posts.  When  they 
reached  the  Hoboken  side  a  boat  equally  crowded  was 
coming  out  of  the  slip.  The  passengers  just  arriving 
cried  out  to  those  who  were  coming  away,  "  Is  the 
Buffalo  Hunt  over1?"  To  which  came  the  reply,  "Yes, 
and  it  was  the  biggest  humbug  you  ever  heard  of!" 
Willis  added  that  passengers  on  the  boat  with  him 
instantly  gave  three  cheers  for  the  author  of  the 
humbug,  whoever  he  might  be. 

After  the  public  had  enjoyed  a  laugh  for  several  days 
over  the  Hoboken  "  Free  Grand  Buffalo  Hunt,"  I  per 
mitted  it  to  be  announced  that  the  proprietor  of  the 
American  Museum  was  responsible  for  the  joke,  thus 
using  the  buffalo  hunt  as  a  sky-rocket  to  attract  public 
attention  to  my  Museum.  The  object  was  accomplished 
and  although  some  people  cried  out  "  humbug,"  I  had 
added  to  the  notoriety  which  I  so  much  wanted  and  I 
was  satisfied.  As  for  the  cry  of  "  humbug,"  it  never 
harmed  me,  and  I  was  in  the  position  of  the  actor  who 
had  much  rather  be  roundly  abused  than  not  to  be 
noticed  at  all.  I  ought  to  add,  that  the  forty-eight 
thousand  sixpences  —  the  usual  fare — received  for 
ferry  fares,  less  what  I  paid  for  the  charter  of  the 
boats  on  that  one  day,  more  than  remunerated  me  for 
the  cost  of  the  buffaloes  and  the  expenses  of  the 
"  hunt,"  and  the  enormous  gratuitous  advertising  of  the 
Museum  must  also  be  placed  to  my  credit. 

With  the  same  object  —  that  is,  advertising  my  Mu 
seum, —  I  purchased,  for  $500,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  a 
"  Woolly  Horse  "  I  found  on  exhibition  in  that  city.  It 
was  a  well  formed,  small  sized  horse,  with  no  mane. 


150  THE  ROAD   TO  RICHES. 

and  not  a  particle  of  hair  on  his  tail,  while  his  entire 
body  and  legs  were  covered  with  thick,  fine  hair  or 
wool,  which  curled  tight  to  his  skin.  This  horse  was 
foaled  in  Indiana,  and  was  a  remarkable  freak  of  nature, 
and  certainly  a  very  curious  looking  animal. 
•  I  had  not  the  remotest  idea,  when  I  bought  this  horse, 
what  I  should  do  with  him  ;  but  when  the  news  came 
that  Colonel  John  C.  Fremont  (who  was  supposed  to 
have  been  lost  in  the  snows  of  the  Rocky  Mountains) 
was  in  safety,  the  "  Woolly  Horse  "  was  exhibited  in 
New  York,  and  was  widely  advertised  as  a  most  re 
markable  animal  that  had  been  captured  by  the  great 
explorer's  party  in  the  passes  of  ike  Eocky  Mountains. 
The  exhibition  met  with  only  moderate  success  in  New 
York,  ,and  in  several  Northern  provincial  towns,  and 
the  show  would  have -fallen -flat  in  Washington, 'had  it 
not  been  for  the  over-zeal  of  Colonel  Thomas  H.  Ben- 
ton,  then  a  United  States  Senator  from  Missouri.  He 
went  to  the  show,  and  then  caused  the  arrest  of  my 
agent  for  obtaining  twenty-five  cents  from  him  under 
"  false  pretences."  No  mention  had  been  made  of  this 
curious  animal  in  any  letter  he  had  received  from  his 
son-in-law,  Colonel  John  C.  Fremont,  and  therefore  the 
Woolly  Horse  had  not  been  captured  by  any  of  Fre 
mont's  party.  The  reasoning  was  hardly  as  sound  as 
were  most  of  the  arguments  of  "  Old  Bullion,"  and  the 
case  was  dismissed.  After  a  few  days  of  merriment, 
public  curiosity  no  longer  turned  in  that  direction,  and 
the  old  horse  was  permitted  to  retire  to  private  life. 
My  object  in  the  exhibition,  however,  was  fully  attained. 
When  it  was  generally  known  that  the  proprietor  of  the 
American  Museum  was  also  the  owner  of  the  famous 
"  Woolly  Horse,"  it  caused  yet  more  talk  about  me 


THE  KO AD  TO  EICHES.  151 

and  my  establishment,  and  visitors  began  to  say  that 
they  would  give  more  to  see  the  proprietor  of  the  Mu 
seum  than  to  view  the  entire  collection  of  curiosities. 
As  for  my  ruse  in  advertising  the  "  Woolly  Horse  "  as 
having  been  captured  by  Fremont's  exploring  party,  of 
course  the  announcement  neither  added  to  nor  took 
from  the  interest,  of  the  exhibition  ;  but  it  arrested  pub 
lic  attention,  and  it  was  the  only  feature  of  the  show 
that  I  now  care  to  forget. 

It  will  be  seen  that  very  much  of  the  success  which 
attended  my  many  years  proprietorship  of  the  Amer 
ican  Museum  was  due  to  advertising,  and  especially 
to  my  odd  methods  of  advertising.  Always  claiming 
that  I  had  curiosities  worth  sho.wing  and  worth  seeing, 
and  exhibited  "  dog  cheap"  at  cc  twenty-five  cents  admis 
sion,  children  half  price  "-T-  I  studied  ways  to  arrest 
public  attention .;  to  startle,  to  make  people  talk  and 
wonder ;  in  short,,  to  let  the  world  know  that  I  had  a; 
Museum. 

About  this  time,  I  engaged  a  band  of  Indians  from 
Iowa.  They  had  never  seen  a  railroad  or  steamboat 
until  they  saw  them  on  the  route  from  Iowa  to  New 
York.  Of  course  they  were  wild  and  had  but  faint 
ideas  of  civilization.  The  party  comprised  large  and 
noble  specimens  of  the  untutored  savage,  as  well  as 
several  very  beautiful  squaws,  with  two  or  three  inter 
esting  "  papooses."  They  lived  and  lodged  in  a  large 
room  on  the  top  floor  of  the  Museum,  and  cooked  their 
own  victuals  in  their  own  way.  They  gave  their  war- 
dances  on  the  stage  in  the  Lecture  Room  with  great 
vigor  and  enthusiasm,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
audiences.  But  these  wild  Indians  seemed  to  consider 
their  dances  as  realities.  Hence  when  they  gave  a  real 


152  THE  EOAD  TO  EICHES. 

War  Dance,  it  was  dangerous  for  any  parties, 
except  their  manager  and  interpreter,  to  be  on  the 
stage,  for  the  moment  they  had  finished  their  war 
dance,  they  began  to  leap  and  peer  about  behind  the 
scenes  in  search  of  victims  for  their  tomahawks  and 
scalping  knives  !  Indeed,  lest  in  these  frenzied 
moments  they  might  make  a  dash  at  the  orchestra  or 
the  audience,  we  had  a  high  rope  barrier  placed 
between  them  and  the  savages  on  the  front  of  the  stage. 

After  they  had  been  a  week  in  the  Museum,  I  pro 
posed  a  change  of  performance  for  the  week  following, 
by  introducing  new  dances.  Among  these  was 
the  Indian  Wedding  Dance.  At  that  time  I  printed  but 
one  set  of  posters  (large  bills)  per  week,  so  that  what 
ever  was  announced  for  Monday,  was  repeated  every 
day  and  evening  during  that  week.  Before  the 
Wedding  Dance  came  off  on  Monday  afternoon,  I  was 
informed  that  I  was  to  provide  a  large  new  red  woollen 
blanket,  at  a  cost  of  ten  dollars,  for  the  bridegroom 
to  present  to  the  father  of  the  bride.  I  ordered  the 
purchase  to  be  made ;  but  was  considerably  taken 
aback,  when  I  was  informed  that  I  must  have  another 
new  blanket  for  the  evening,  inasmuch  as  the  savage 
old  Indian  Chief,  father-in-law  to  the  bridegroom, 
would  not  consent  to  his  daughter's  being  approached 
with  the  Wedding  Dance  unless  he  had  his  blanket 
present. 

I  undertook  to  explain  to  the  chief,  through  the  inter 
preter,  that  this  was  only  a  "  make  believe "  wedding ; 
but  the  old  savage  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  gave  such 
a  terrific  "  Ugh  !  "  that  I  was  glad  to  make  my  peace 
by  ordering  another  blanket.  As  we  gave  two  perform 
ances  per  day,  I  was  out  of  pocket  $120  for  twelve 
*'  wedding  blankets,"  that  week, 


THE  EOAt)  TO  BICHES.  153 

One  of  the  beautiful  squaws  named  Do-humme  died  in 
the  Museum.  She  had  been  a  great  favorite  with  many 
ladies, —  among  whom  I  can  especially  name  Mrs.  C.  M. 
Sawyer,  wife  of  the  Eev.  Dr.  T.  J.  Sawyer.  Do-humme 
was  buried  on  the  border  of  Sylvan  Water,  at  Greenwood 
Cemetery,  where  a  small  monument,  erected  by  her 
friends,  designates  her  last  resting  place. 

The  poor  Indians  were  very  sorrowful  for  many  days, 
and  desired  to  get  back  again  to  their  western  wilds. 
The  father  and  the  betrothed  of  Do-humme  cooked 
various  dishes  of  food  and  placed  them  upon  the  roof 
of  the  Museum,  where  they  believed  the  spirit  of  their 
departed  friend  came  daily  for  its  supply ;  and  these 
dishes  were  renewed  every  morning  during  the  stay  of 
the  Indians  at  the  Museum. 

It  was  sometimes  very  amusing  to  hear  the  remarks 
of  strangers  who  came  to  visit  my  Museum.  One  after 
noon  a  prim  maiden  lady  from  Portland,  Maine,  walked 
into  my  private  office,  where  I  was  busily  engaged  in 
writing,  and  taking  a  seat  on  the  sofa  she  asked: 

"  Is  this  Mr.  Barnum  ?  " 

"  It  is,"  I  replied. 

"  Is  this  Mr.  P.  T.  Barnum,  the  proprietor  of  the 
Museum  I "  she  asked. 

"  The  same,"  was  my  answer. 

"  Why,  really,  Mr.  Barnum,"  she  continued,  "  you 
look  much  like  other  common  folks,  after  all." 

I  remarked  that  I  presumed  I  did ;  but  I  could  not  help 
it,  and  I  hoped  she  was  not  disappointed  at  my  appear 
ance. 

"  Oh,  no,"  she  said ;  "  I  suppose  I  have  no  right  to 
be  disappointed,  but  I  have  read  and  heard  so  much 
about  you  and  your  Museum  that  I  was  quite  prepared 
to  be  astonished." 


154  THE  ROAD  TO  ETCHES, 

I  asked  her  if  she  had  been  through  the  establish 
ment. 

"  I  have,"  she  replied ;  "  I  came  in  immediately  after 
breakfast ;  I  have  been  here  ever  since,  and,  I  can  say  I 
think  with  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  that  '  the  half  had  not 
been  told  me.'  But,  Mr.  Barnum,"  she: continued,  "  I  have 
long  felt  a  desire  to  see  you ;  I  wanted  to  attend  when 
you  lectured  on  temperance  in  Portland,  but  I  had  a 
severe  cold  and  could  not  go  out." 

"  Do  you  like  my  collection  as  well  as  you  do  the  one 
in  the  Boston  Museum  ? "  I  asked. 

"  Dear  me  !  Mr.  Barnum,"  said  she,  "  I  never  went 
to  any  Museum  before,  nor  to  any  place  of  amusement 
or  public  entertainment,  excepting  our  school  exhibi 
tions  ;  and  I  have  sometimes  felt  that  they  even  may  be 
wicked, /or  some  parts  of  the  dialogues  seemed  frivo 
lous  ;  but  I  have  heard  so  much  of  your  '  moral  drama' 
and  the  great  good  you  are  doing  for  the  rising  genera 
tion  that  I  thought  I  must  corne  here  and  see  for 
myself." 

"  We  represent  the  pathetic  story  of '  Charlotte  Tem 
ple  '  in  the  Lecture  Room  to-day,"  I  remarked,  with  an 
inward  chuckle  at  the  peculiarities  of  my  singular  visi 
tor,  who,  although  she  was  nearly  fifty  years  of  age> 
had  probably  never  been  in  an  audience  of  a  hundred 
persons,  unless  it  might  be  at  a  school  exhibition,  or  in 
Sunday  school,  or  in  church. 

,  "  Indeed  !  I  am  quite  familiar  with  the  sad  history  of 
Miss  Temple,  and  I  think  I  can  derive,  great  consolation 
from  witnessing  the  representation  of  the  touching 
story." 

At  this  moment  the  gong  sounded  to  announce  the 
opening  of  the  Lecture  Room,  and  the  crowd  passed  on 


THE  BO  AD  TO  EICHES.  155 

in  haste  to  secure  seats.  My  spinster  visitor  sprang  to 
her  feet  and  anxiously  inquired : 

"  Are  the  services  about  to  commence "? " 

"Yes,"  I  replied,  "the  congregation  is  now  going 
up." 

She  marched  along  with  the  crowd  as  demurely  as  if 
she  was  going  to  a  funeral.  After  she  was  seated,  I 
watched  her,  and  in  the  course  of  the  play  I  noticed 
that  she  was  several  times  so  much  overcome  as  to  be 
moved  to  tears.  She  was  very  much  affected,  and  when 
the  "  services  "  were  over,  without  seeking  another  in 
terview  with  me,  she  went  silently  and  tearfully  away. 

One  day,  two  city  boys  who  had  thoroughly  explored 
the  wonders  of  the  Museum,  on  .their  way  out  passed 
the  open  door  of  my  private  office,  and  seeing  me  sitting 
there,  one  of  them  exclaimed  to  his  companion : 

"  There  !     That's  Mr.  Barnum." 

"  No  !  is  it  ? "  asked  the  other,  and  then  with  his  mind 
full  of  the  glories  of  the  stuifed  gander-skins,  and  other 
wealth  which  had  been  displayed  to  his  wondering  eyes 
in  the  establishment,  he  summed  up  his  views  of  the 
vastness  and  value  of  the  whole  collection,  and  its  fortu 
nate  proprietor  in  a  single  sentence : 

"  Well,  he's  an  awful  rich  old  cuss,  ain't  he  !  " 

Those  boys  evidently  took  a  strictly  financial  view  of 
the  establishment. 


CHAPTER  X. 

ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION. 

?E  ALE' S  MUSEUM  —  MYSTERIOUS  MESMERISM — YANKEE  HILL  —  HENRY  BENNETT  — 
THE  RIVAL  MUSEUMS — THE  ORPHEAN  AND  ORPHAN  FAMILIES — THE  FUDG- 
EE  MERMAID  —  BUYING  OUT  MY  RIVAL  —  RUNNING  OPPOSITION  TO  MYSELF  — 
ABOLISHING  THEATRICAL  NUISANCES — NO  CHECKS  AND  NO  BAR — THE 
MUSEUM  MY  MANIA— MY  FIRST  INTERVIEW  WITH  CHARLES  S.  STRATTON  — 
GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  IN  NEW  YORK — RE-ENGAGEMENT  —  AN  APT  PUPIL- 
FREE  FROM  DEBT  —  THE  PROFITS  OF  TWO  YEARS  —  IN  SEARCH  OF  A  NEW 
FIELD  —  STARTING  FOR  LIVERPOOL — THE  GOOD  SHIP  "YORKSHIRE" — MY 
PARTY — ESCORT  TO  SANDY  HOOK — THE  VOYAGE  —  A  TOBACCO  TRICK  —  A 
BRAGGING  JOHN  BULL  OUTWITTED  —  ARRIVAL  AT  LIVERPOOL—  A  GENTLEMAN 
BEGGAR — MADAME  CELESTE  — CHEAP  DWARFS — TWO-PENNY  SHOWS  —  EXHI 
BITION  OF  GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  IN  LIVERPOOL — FIRST-CLASS  ENGAGEMENT 
FOR  LONDON. 

THE  president  and  directors  of  the  "  New  York 
Museum  Company  "  not  only  failed  to  buy  the  American 
Museum  as  they  confidently  expected  to  do,  but,  after 
my  newspaper  squib  war  and  my  purchase  of  the 
Museum,  they  found  it  utterly  impossible  to  sell  their 
stock.  By  some  arrangement,  the  particulars  of  which 
I  do  not  remember,  if,  indeed,  I  ever  cared  to  know 
them,  Mr.  Peale  was  conducting  Peale's  Museum  which 
he  claimed  was  a  more  "  scientific  "  establishment  than 
mine,  and  he  pretended  to  appeal  to  a  higher  class  of 
patrons.  Mesmerism  was  one  of  his  scientific  attrac 
tions,  and  he  had  a  subject  upon  whom  he  operated  at 
times  with  the  greatest  seeming  success,  and  fairly 
astonished  his  audiences.  But  there  were  times  when 
the  subject  was  wholly  unimpressible  and  then  those 
who  had  paid  their  money  to  see  the  woman  put  into 
the  mesmeric  state  cried  out"  humbug,"  and  the  reputa 
tion  of  the  establishment  seriously  suffered. 


ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION.  157 

j 

It  devolved  upon  me  to  open  a  rival  mesmeric  per 
formance,  and  accordingly  I  engaged  a  bright  little  girl 
who  was  exceedingly  susceptible  to  such  mesmeric  influ 
ences  as  I  could  induce.  That  is,  she  learned  her 
lesson  thoroughly,  and  when  I  had  apparently  put  her 
to  sleep  with  a  few  passes  and  stood  behind  her,  she 
seemed  to  be  duly  "  impressed "  as  I  desired ;  raised 
her  hands  as  I  willed ;  fell  from  her  chair  to  the  floor ; 
and  if  I  put  candy  or  tobacco  into  my  mouth,  she  was 
duly  delighted  or  disgusted.  She  never  failed  in  these 
routine  performances.  Strange  to  say,  believers  in 
mesmerism  used  to  witness  her  performances  with  the 
greatest  pleasure  and  adduce  them  as  positive  proofs 
that  there  was  something  in  mesmerism,  and  they 
applauded  tremendously  —  up  to  a  certain  point. 

That  point  was  reached,  when  leaving  the  girl 
"asleep,"  I  called  up  some  one  in  the  audience,  promis 
ing  to  put  him  "  in  the  same  state  "  within  five  minutes, 
or  forfeit  fifty  dollars.  Of  course,  all  my  "passes" 
would  not  put  any  man  in  the  mesmeric  state ;  at  the( 
end  of  three  minutes  he  was  as  wide  awake  as  ever. 

"Never  mind,"  I  would  say,  looking  at  my  watch; 
"  I  have  two  minutes  more,  and  meantime,  to  show  that 
a  person  in  this  state  is  utterly  insensible  to  pain,  I  pro 
pose  to  cut  off  one  of  the  fingers  of  the  little  girl  who  is 
still  asleep."  I  would  then  take  out  my  knife  and  feel 
of  the  edge,  and  when  I  turned  around  to  the  girl  whom 
I  left  on  the  chair  she  had  fled  behind  the  scenes  to  the 
intense  amusement  of  the  greater  part  of  the  audience 
and  to  the  amazement  of  the  mesmerists  who  were 
present. 

«  Why  !  where's  my  little  girl  1"  I  asked  with  feigned 
astonishment. 


158  ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION. 

"  Oh !  she  ran  away  when  you  began  to  talk  about 
cutting  off  fingers." 

"  Then  she  was  wide  awake,  was  she  I " 

"  Of  course  she  was,  all  the  time." 

"  I  suppose  so  ;  and,  my  dear  sir,  I  promised  that  you 
should  be  '  in  the  same  state'  at  the  end  of  five  min 
utes,  and  as  I  believe  you  are  so,  I  do  not  forfeit  fifty 
dollars." 

I  kept  up  this  performance  for  several  weeks,  till  I 
quite  killed  Peale's  "  genuine  "  mesmerism  in  the  rival 
establishment.  After  Peale,  "  Yankee  "  Hill  undertook 
the  management  of  that  Museum,  but  in  a  little  while 
he  failed.  It  was  then  let  to  Henry  Bennett,  who 
reduced  the  entrance  price  to  one  shilling,  - —  a  half 
price  which  led  me  to  characterize  his  concern  as 
"cheap  and  nasty,"  — and  he  began  a  serious  rivalry 
with  my  Museum.  His  main  reliances  were  burlesques 
and  caricatures  of  whatever  novelties  I  was  exhibiting  ; 
thus,  when  I  advertised  an  able  company  of  vocalists, 
well-known  as  the  Orphean  Family,  Bennett  announced 
the  "  Orphan  Family ;  "  my  Fejee  Mermaid  he  offset 
with  a  figure  made  of  a  monkey  and  codfish  joined 
together  and  called  the  "  Fudg-ee  Mermaid."  These 
things  created  some  laughter  at  my  expense,  but  they 
also  served  to  advertise  my  Museum. 

When  the  novelty  of  this  opposition  died  away, 
Bennett  did  a  decidedly  losing  business.  I  used  to  send 
a  man  with  a  shilling  to  his  place  every  night  and  I 
knew  exactly  how  much  he  was  doing  and  what  were 
his  receipts.  The  holidays  were  coming  and  might  tide 
him  over  a  day  or  two,  but  he  was  at  the  very  bottom 
and  I  said  to  him,  one  day: 

"  Bennett,  if  you  can  keep  open  one.  week  after 
New  Year's  I  will  give  you  a  hundred  dollars." 


.ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION.  159 

He  made  every  effort  to  win  the  money,  and  even 
went  to  the  landlord  and  offered  him  the  entire 
receipts  for  a  week  if  he  would  only  let  him  stay 
there ;  but  he  would  not  do  it,  and  the  day  after  New 
Year's,  January  2,  1843,  Bennett  shut  up  shop,  hav 
ing  lost  his  last  dollar  and  even  failing  to  secure 
the  handsome  premium  I  offered  him. 

The  entire  collection  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  land 
lord  for  arrearages  of  rent,  and  I  privately  purchased 
it  for  $7,000  cash,  hired  the  building,  and  secretly 
engaged  Bennett  as  my  agent.  We  ran  a  very  spirited 
opposition  for  a  long  time  and  abused  each  other  ter 
ribly  in  public.  It  was  very  amusing  when  actors 
and  performers  failed  to  make  terms  with  one  of  us 
and  went  to  the  other,  carrying  from  one  to  the  other 
the  price  each  was  willing  to  pay  for  an  engagement. 
We  thus  used  to  hear  extraordinary  stories  about  each 
other's  "liberal  terms,"  but  between1  the  two  we  man 
aged  to  secure  such  persons  as  we  wanted  at  about 
the  rates  at  which  their  services  were  really  worth. 
While  these  people  were  thus  running  from  one  man 
ager  to  the  other,  supposing  we  were  rivals,  Bennett  said 
to  me  one  day : 

"  You  and  I  are  like  a  pair  of  shears;  we  seem  to 
cut  each  other,  but  we  only  cut  what  comes  between." 

I  ran  my  opposition  long  enough  to  beat  myself.  It 
answered  every  purpose,  however,  in  awakening  pub 
lic  attention  to  my  Museum,  and  was  an  advantage  in 
preventing  others  from  starting  a  genuine  opposition. 
At  the  end  of  six  months,  the  whole  establishment, 
including  the  splendid  gallery  of  American  portraits,  was 
removed  to  the  American  Museum  and  I  immediately 
advertised  the  great  card  of  a  "  Double  attraction  "  and 
"  Two  Museums  in  One,"  without  extra  charge. 


160  ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION. 

A  Museum  proper  obviously  depends  for  patronage 
largely  upon  country  people  who  visit  the  city  with 
a  worthy  curiosity  to  see  the  novelties  of  the  town.  As 
I  had  opened  a  dramatic  entertainment  in  connection 
with  my  curiosities,  it  was  clear  that  I  must  adapt 
my  stage  to  the  wants  of  my  country  customers. 
While  I  was  disposed  to  amuse  my  provincial  patrons,  I 
was  determined  that  there  should  be  nothing  in  my  estab 
lishment,  where  many  of  my  visitors  would  derive  their 
first  impressions  of  city  life,  that  could  contaminate 
or  corrupt  them.  At  this  period,  it  was  customary 
to  tolerate  very  considerable  license  on  the  stage. 
Things  were  said  and  done  and  permitted  in  theatres 
that  elsewhere  would  have  been  pronounced  highly 
improper.  The  public  seemed  to  demand  these  things, 
and  it  is  an  axiom  in  political  economy,  that  the  demand 
must  regulate  the  supply.  But  I  determined,  at  the 
start,  that,  let  the  demand  be  what  it  might,  the  Museum 
dramatic  entertainments  should  be  unexceptionable  on 
the  score  of  morality. 

i  nave  already  mentioned  some  of  the  immediate 
reforms  1  made  in  the  abuses  of  the  stage.  I  went 
farther,  and,  at  the  risk  of  some  pecuniary  sacrifice, 
I  abolished  what  was  common  enough  in  other  theatres, 
even  the  most  "  respectable,"  and  was  generally  known 
as  the  "  third  tier."  Nor  was  a  bar  permitted  on  my 
premises.  To  be  sure,  I  had  no  power  to  prevent  my 
patrons  from  going  out  between  the  acts  and  getting 
liquor  if  they  chose  to  do  so,  and  I  gave  checks,  as 
is  done  in  other  theatres,  and  some  of  my  city  customers 
availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  go  out  for 
drinks  and  return  again.  Practically,  then,  it  was  much 
the  same  as  if  I  had  kept  a  bar  in  the  Museum,  and  so 


ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION.  161 

I  abolished  the  check  business.  There  was  great 
reason  to  apprehend  that  such  a  course  would  rob  me 
of  the  patronage  of  a  considerable  class  of  play-goers, 
but  I  rigidly  adhered  to  the  new  rule,  and  what  I  may 
have  lost  in  money,  I  more  than  gained  in  the  greater 
decorum  which  characterized  my  audiences. 

The  Museum  became  a  mania  with  me  and  I  made 
everything  possible  subservient  to  it.  On  the  eve  of 
elections,  rival  politicians  would  ask  me  for  whom  I 
was  going  to  vote,  and  my  answer  invariably  was, 
"  I  vote  for  the  American  Museum."  In  fact,  at  that 
time,  I  cared  very  little  about  politics,  and  a  great 
deal  about  my  business.  Meanwhile  the  Museum 
prospered  wonderfully,  and  everything  I  attempted 
or  engaged  in  seemed  at  the  outset  an  assured  suc 
cess. 

The  giants  whom  I  exhibited  from  time  to  time 
were  always  literally  great  features  in  my  establish 
ment,  and  they  oftentimes  afforded  me,  as  well  as  my 
patrons,  food  for  much  amusement  as  well  as  wonder. 
The  Quaker  giant,  Hales,  was  quite  a  wag  in  his  way. 
He  went  once  to  see  the  new  house  of  an  acquaint 
ance  who  had  suddenly  become  rich,  but  who  was  a 
very  ignorant  man.  When  he  came  back  he  described 
the  wonders  of  the  mansion  and  said  that  the  proud 
proprietor  showed  him  everything  from  basement  to 
attic ;  parlors,  bed-rooms,  dining  room,  and,"  said  Hales, 
"  what  he  called  his  c  study '  —  meaning,  I  suppose,  the 
place  where  he  intends  to  study  his  spelling-book !  " 

I  had  at  one  time  two  famous  men,  the  French  giant, 
M.  Bihin,  a  very  slim  man,  and  the  Arabian  giant, 
Colonel  Goshen.  These  men  generally  got  on  together 
very  well,  though,  of  course,  each  was  jealous  of  the 

8 


162  ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION. 

other,  and  of  the  attention  the  rival  received,  or  the 
notice  he  attracted.  One  day  they  quarrelled,  and  a 
lively  interchange  of  compliments  ensued,  the  Ara 
bian  calling  the  Frenchman  a  "  Shanghai,"  and  receiving 
in  return  the  epithet  of  "  Nigger."  From  words  both 
were  eager  to  proceed  to  blows,  and  both  ran  to  my 
collection  of  arms,  one  seizing  the  club  with  which 
Captain  Cook  or  any  other  man  might  have  been  killed, 
if  it  were  judiciously  wielded,  and  the  other  laying  hands 
on  a  sword  of  the  terrific  size  which  is  supposed  to  have 
been  conventional  in  the  days  of  the  Crusades.  The 
preparations  for  a  deadly  encounter,  and  the  high  words 
of  the  contending  parties  brought  a  dozen  of  the 
Museum  attaches  to  the  spot,  and  these  men  threw 
themselves  between  the  gigantic  combatants.  Hearing 
the  disturbance,  I  ran  from  my  private  office  to  the 
duelling  ground,  and  said : 

"  Look  here  !  This  is  all  right ;  if  you  want  to  fight 
each  other,  maiming  and  perhaps  killing  one  or  both  of 
you,  that  is  your  affair;  but  my  interest  lies  here  —  you 
are  both  under  engagement  to  me,  and  if  this  duel  is  to 
come  off,  I  and  the  public  have  a  right  to  participate. 
It  must  be  duly  advertised,  and  must  take  place  on  the 
stage  of  the  Lecture  Room.  No  performance  of  yours 
would  be  a  greater  attraction,  and  if  you  kill  each 
other,  our  engagement  can  end  with  your  duel." 

This  proposition,  made  in  apparent  earnest,  so  de 
lighted  the  giants  that  they  at  once  burst  into  a  laugh, 
shook  hands,  and  quarrelled  no  more. 

I  now  come  to  the  details  of  one  of  the  most  interest 
ing,  as  well  as  successful,  of  all  the  show  enterprises  in 
which  I  have  engaged  —  one  which  not  only  taxecj.  all 
my  ingenuity  and  industry,  but  which  gave  unqualified 


ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION.  163 

delight  to  thousands  of  people  on  two  continents  and 
put  enormous  sums  of  money  into  many  pockets  besides 
my  own. 

In  November,  1842, 1  was  in  Albany  on  business,  and 
as  the  Hudson  River  was  frozen  over,  I  returned  to 
New  York  by  the  Housatonic  Railroad,  stopping  one 
night  at  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  with  my  brother, 
Philo  F.  Barnum,  who  at  that  time  kept  the  Franklin 
Hotel.  I  had  heard  of  a  remarkably  small  child  in 
Bridgeport,  and,  at  my  request,  my  brother  brought  him 
to  the  hotel.  He  was  not  two  feet  high ;  he  weighed 
less  than  sixteen  pounds,  and  was  the  smallest  child  I 
ever  saw  that  could  walk  alone ;  but  he  was  a  perfectly 
formed,  bright-eyed  little  fellow,  with  light  hair  and 
ruddy  cheeks  and  he  enjoyed  the  best  of  health.  He  was 
exceedingly  bashful,  but  after  some  coaxing  he  was 
induced  to  talk  with  me,  and  he  told  me  that  he  was  the 
son  of  Sherwood  E.  Stratton,  and  that  his  own  name 
was  Charles  S.  Stratton.  After  seeing  him  and  talking 
with  him,  I  at  once  determined  to  secure  his  services 
from  his  parents  and  to  exhibit  him  in  public. 

But  as  he  was  only  five  years  of  age,  to  exhibit  him 
as  a  "dwarf"  might  provoke  the  inquiry  "  How  do  you 
know  he  is  a  dwarf? "  Some  liberty  might  be  taken 
with  the  facts,  but  even  with  this  license,  I  felt  that 
the  venture  was  only  an  experiment,  and  I  engaged 
him  for  four  weeks  at  three  dollars  a  week,  with  all 
travelling  and  boarding  charges  for  himself  and  his  mother 
at  my  expense.  They  came  to  New  York,  Thanks 
giving  day,  December  8,  1842,  and  Mrs.  Stratton  was 
greatly  surprised  to  see  her  son  announced  on  my 
Museum  bills  as  "  General  Tom  Thumb." 

I  took  the  greatest  pains  to   educate  and  train  my 


164  ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION. 

diminutive  prodigy,  devoting  many  hours  to  the  task  by 
day  and  by  night,  and  I  was  very  successful,  for  he 
was  an  apt  pupil  with  a  great  deal  of  native  talent,  and 
a  keen  sense  of  the  ludicrous.  He  made  rapid  progress 
in  preparing  himself  for  such  performances  as  I  wished 
him  to  undertake  and  he  became  very  much  attached  to 
his  teacher. 

When  the  four  weeks  expired,  I  re-engaged  him  for 
one  year  at  seven  dollars  a  week,  with  a  gratuity  of  fifty 
dollars  at  the  end  of  the  engagement,  and  the  privilege 
of  exhibiting  him  anywhere  in  the  United  States,  in 
which  event  his  parents  were  to  accompany  •  him  and 
I  was  to  pay  all  travelling  expenses.  He  speedily 
became  a  public  favorite,  and,  long  before  the  year  was 
out,  I  voluntarily  increased  his  weekly  salary  to  twenty- 
five  dollars,  and  he  fairly  earned  it.  Sometimes  I 
exhibited  him  for  several  weeks  in  succession  at  the 
Museum,  and  when  I  wished  to  introduce  other 
novelties  I  sent  him  to  different  towns  and  cities, 
accompanied  by  my  friend,  Mr.  Fordyce  Hitchcock, 
and  the  fame  of  General  Tom  Thumb  soon  spread 
throughout  the  country. 

Two  years  had  now  elapsed  since  I  bought  the 
Museum  and  I  had  long  since  paid  for  the  entire 
establishment  from  the  profits ;  I  had  bought  out  my 
only  rival ;  I  was  free  from  debt,  and  had  a  handsome 
surplus  in  the  treasury.  The  business  had  long  ceased 
to  be  an  experiment  ;  it  was  an  established  success  and 
was  in  such  perfect  running  order,  that  it  could  safely 
be  committed  to  the  management  of  trustworthy  and  tried 
agents. 

Accordingly,  looking  for  a  new  field  for  my  individ 
ual  efforts,  I  entered  into  an  agreement  for  General 


ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION.        165 

Tom  Thumb's  services  for  another  year,  at  fifty  dollars  a 
week  and  all  expenses,  with  the  privilege  of  exhibiting 
him  in  Europe.  I  proposed  to  test  the  curiosity  of  men 
and  women  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic.  Much 
as  I  hoped  for  success,  in  my  most  sanguine  moods,  I 
could  not  anticipate  the  half  of  what  was  in  store  for 
me ;  I  did  not  foresee  nor  dream  that  I  was  shortly  to 
be  brought  in  close  contact  with  kings,  queens,  lords 
and  illustrious  commoners,  and  that  such  association, 
by  means  of  my  exhibition,  would  afterwards  introduce 
me  to  the  great  public  and  the  public's  money,  which 
was  to  fill  my  coffers.  Or,  if  I  saw  some  such  future, 
it  was  dreamily,  dimly;  and  with  half-opened  eyes, 
as  the  man  saw  the  "  trees  walking." 

After  arranging  my  business  affairs  for  a  long  absence, 
and  making  every  preparation  for  an  extended  foreign 
tour,  on  Thursday,  January  18,  1844,  I  went  on  board 
the  new  and  fine  sailing  ship  "  Yorkshire,"  Captain  D. 
G.  Bailey,  bound  for  Liverpool.  Our  'party  included 
General  Tom  Thumb,  his  parents,  his  tutor,  and  Profes 
sor  Guillaudeu,  the  French  naturalist.  We  were  accom 
panied  by  several  personal  friends,  and  the  City  Brass 
Band  kindly  volunteered  to  escort  us  to  Sandy  Hook. 

My  name  has  been  so  long  associated  with  mirthful 
incidents  that  I  presume  many  persons  do  not  suppose 
I  am  susceptible  of  sorrowful,  or  even  sentimental  emo 
tions  ;  but  when  the  bell  of  the  steamer  that  towed  our 
ship  down  the  bay  announced  the  hour  of  separation, 
and  then  followed  the  hastily-spoken  words  of  farewell, 
tind  the  parting  grasp  of  friendly  hands,  I  confess  that 
I  was  very  much  in  the  "melting  mood,"  and  when  the 
band  played  "  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  I  was  moved  to 
tears. 


166  ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION. 

A  voyage  to  Liverpool  is  now  an  old,  familiar  story, 
and  I  abstain  from  entering  into  details,  though  I  have 
abundant  material  respecting  my  own  experiences  of 
my  first  sea-voyage  in  the  first  two  of  a  series  of  one 
hundred  letters  which  I  wrote  in  Europe  as  correspon 
dent  of  the  New  York  Atlas.  But  some  of  the  incidents 
and  adventures  of  my  voyage  on  the  u  Yorkshire"  are 
worth  transcribing  in  these  pages  of  my  personal  his 
tory. 

Occasional  calms  and  adverse  winds  protracted  our 
passage  to  nineteen  days,  but  a  better  ship  and  a  more 
competent  captain  never  sailed.  I  was  entirely  exempt 
from  sea-sickness,  and  enjoyed  the  voyage  very  much. 
Good  fellowship  prevailed  among  the  passengers,  the 
time  passed  rapidly,  and  we  had  a  good  deal  of  fun  on 
board. 

Several  of  the  passengers  were  English  merchants 
from  Canada  and  one  of  the  number,  who  reckoned 
himself  "A,  No.  l,"and  often  hinted  that  he  was  too 
'cute  for  any  Yankee,  boasted  so  much  of  his  shrewd 
ness  that  a  Yankee  friend  of  mine  confederated  with 
me  to  test  it.  I  thought  of  an  old  trick  and  arranged 
with  my  friend  to  try  it  on  the  boastful  John  Bull. 
Coming  out  of  my  state-room,  with  my  hand  to  my  face, 
and  apparently  in  great  pain,  I  asked  my  fellow  passen 
gers  what  was  good  for  the  tooth-ache  My  friend  and 
confederate  recommended  heating  tobacco,  and  holding 
it  to  my  face.  I  therefore  borrowed  a  little  tobacco, 
and  putting  it  in  a  paper  of  a  peculiar  color,  placed  it 
on  the  stove  to  warm.  I  then  retired  for  a  few 
minutes,  during  which  time  the  Yankee  proposed  play 
ing  a  trick  on  me  by  emptying  the  tobacco,  and  filling 
the  paper  with  ashes,  which  our  smart  Englishman 


ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION. 

thought  would  be  a  very  fine  joke,  and  he  himself 
made  the  substitution,  putting  ashes  into  the  paper  and 
throwing  the  tobacco  into  the  fire. 

I  soon  reappeared  and  gravely  placed  the  paper  to 
my  face  to  the  great  amusement  of  the  passengers  and 
walked  up  and  down  the  cabin  as  if  I  was  suffering 
terribly.  At  the  further  end  of  the  cabin  I  slyly  ex 
changed  the  paper  for  another  in  my  pocket  of  the 
same  color  and  containing  tobacco  and  then  walked  back 
again  a  picture  of  misery.  Whereupon,  the  Merry 
Englishman  cried  out : 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  what  have  you  got  in  that  paper  \  " 

"  Tobacco,"  I  replied. 

"  What  will  you  bet  it  is  tobacco  I "  said  the  English 
man. 

"  Oh,  don't  bother  me,"  said  I ;  "  my  tooth  pains  me 
sadly  ;  I  know  it  is  tobacco,  for  I  put  it  there  myself." 

"  111  bet  you  a  dozen  of  champagne  that  it  is  not 
tobacco,"  said  the  Englishman. 

"  Nonsense,"  I  replied,  "  I  will  not  bet,  for  it  would 
not  be  fair  ;  I  know  it  is  tobacco." 

"I'll  bet  you  fifty  dollars'  it  is  not,"  said  John  Bull, 
and  he  counted  ten  sovereigns  upon  the  table. 

"  I'll  not  bet  the  money,"  I  replied,  for  I  tell  you  I 
know  it  is  tobacco ;  I  placed  it  there  myself." 

"  You  dare  not  bet !  "  he  rejoined. 

At  last,  merely  to  accommodate  him,  I  bet  a  dozen  of 
champagne.  The  Englishman  fairly  jumped  with 
delight,  and  roared  out : 

"  Open  the  paper !  open  the  paper  !  " 

The  passengers  crowded  round  the  table  in  great  glee 
to  see  me  open  the  paper,  for  all  but  the  Yankee 
thought  I  was  taken  in.  I  quietly  opened  the  paper, 
and  remarked : 


168  A^OTHEB  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION. 

"  There,  I  told  you  it  was  tobacco  —  how  foolish  you 
were  to  suppose  it  was  not  —  for,  as  I  told  you,  I  put 
it  there  myself." 

The  passengers,  my  confederate  excepted,  were 
amazed  and  the  Englishman  was  absolutely  astounded. 
It  was  the  biter  bitten.  But  he  told  the  steward  to 
bring  the  champagne,  and  turning  to  my  confederate 
who  had  so  effectually  assisted  in  "  selling  "  him,  he 
pronounced  the  affair  "  a  contemptible  Yankee  trick." 
It  was  several  days  before  he  recovered  his  good 
humor,  but  he  joined  at  last  with  the  rest  of  us  in 
laughing  at  the  joke,  and  we  heard  no  more  about  his 
extraordinary  shrewdness. 

On  our  arrival  at  Liverpool,  quite  a  crowd  had  assem 
bled  at  the  dock  to  see  Tom  Thumb,  for  it  had  been 
previously  announced  that  he  would  arrive  in  the 
"  Yorkshire,"  but  his  mother  managed  to  smuggle  him 
ashore-  unnoticed,  for  she  carried  him,  as  if  he  was 
an  infant,  in  her  arms.  We  went  to  the  Waterloo 
Hotel,  and,  after  an  excellent  dinner,  walked  out  to  take 
a  look  at  the  town.  While  I  was  viewing  the  Nelson 
monument  a  venerable  looking,  well-dressed  old  gentle 
man  volunteered  to  explain  to-  me  the  different  devices 
and  inscriptions.  I  looked  upon  him  as  a  disinterested 
and  attentive  man  of  means  who  was  anxious  to  assist  a 
stranger  and  to  show  his  courtesy  ;  but  when  I  gave  him 
a  parting  bow  of  thanks,  half  ashamed  that  I  had  so  tres 
passed  on  his  kindness,  he  put  out  the  hand  of  a  beg 
gar  and  said  that  he  would  be  thankful  for  any  remu 
neration  I  saw  fit  to  bestow  upon  him  for  his  trouble.  1 
was  certainly  astonished,  and  I  thrust  a  shilling  into  his 
hand  and  walked  rapidly  away. 

In  the  evening  of  the  same  day,   a  tall,  raw-boned 


ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION.  169 

man  came  to  the  hotel  and  introduced  himself  to  me  as 
a  brother  Yankee,  who  would  be  happy  in  pointing  out 
the  many  wonders  in  Liverpool  that  a  stranger  would 
be  pleased  to  see. 

I  asked  him  how  long  he  had  been  in  Liverpool,  and 
he  replied,  "  Nearly  a  week."  I  declined  his  proffered 
services  abruptly,  remarking  that  if  he  had  been  there 
only  a  week,  1  probably  knew  as  much  about  England 
as  he  did. 

"  Oh,"  said  he,  "  you  are  mistaken.  I  have  been  in 
England  before,  thougb  never  till  recently  in  Liver 
pool." 

"  What  part  of  England?"  I  inquired. 

"  Opposite  Niagara  Falls,"  he  replied ;  "  I  spent 
several  days  there  with  the  British  soldiers." 

I  laughed  in  his  face,  and  reminded  him  that  England 
did  not  lie  opposite  Niagara  Falls.  The  impudent 
fellow  was  confused  for  a  moment,  and  then  triumph 
antly  exclaimed: 

"I  didn't  mean  England.  I  know  what  country 
it  is  as  well  as  you  do." 

"  Well,  what  country  is  it  ?  "  I  asked,  quite  assured 
that  he  did  not  know. 

"  Great  Britain,  of  course,"  he  replied. 

It  is  needless  to  add  that  the  honor  of  his  company 
as  a  guide  in  Liverpool  was  declined,  and  he  went 
off  apparently  in  a  huff  because  his  abilities  were  not 
appreciated. 

Later  in  the  evening,  the  proprietor  of  a  cheap  wax 
works  show,  at  three  ha' pence  admission,  called  upon 
me.  He  had  heard  of  the  arrival  of  the  great  American 
curiosity,  and  he  seized  the  earliest  opportunity  to 
make  the  General  and  myself  the  magnificent  offer  of 


170  ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION. 

ten  dollars  a  week  if  we  would  join  ourselves  to  his 
already  remarkable  and  attractive  exhibition.  I  could 
not  but  think,  that  dwarfs  must  be  literally  at  a  "  low 
figure "  in  England,  and  my  prospects  were  gloomy 
indeed.  I  was  a  stranger  in  the  land ;  my  letters  of 
introduction  had  not  been  delivered ;  beyond  my  own 
little  circle,  I  had  not  seen  a  friendly  face,  nor  heard 
a  familiar  voice.  I  was  "blue,"  homesick,  almost  in 
despair.  Next  morning,  there  came  a  ray  of  sunshine 
in  the  following  note : 

"  Madame  CELESTE  presents  her  compliments  to  Mr.  Barmim,  and  begs  to  say 
that  her  private  box  is  quite  at  his  service,  any  night,  for  himself  and  friends. 

"Theatre  Royal,  Williamson  Square." 

jfjsqy  I  ;*    ;  f)ou(|-.n   oil   '>iLsri   wj>M/L   v:&v<.[*\t) 

This  polite  invitation  was  thankfully  accepted,  and 
we  went  to  the  theatre  that  evening.  Our  party,  in 
cluding  the  General,  who  was  partly  concealed  by  his 
tutor's  cloak,  occupied  Celeste's  box,  and  in  the  box 
adjoining  sat  an  English  lady  and  gentleman  whose 
appearance  indicated  respectability,  intelligence  and 
wealth.  The  General's  interest  in  the  performance 
attracted  their  attention,  and  the  lady  remarked  to  me  : 

"  What  an  intelligent-looking  child  you  have !  He 
appears  to  take  quite  an  interest  in  the  stage." 

"Pardon  me,  madam,"  said  I,  "this  is  not  a  child. 
This  is  General  Tom  Thumb." 

"Indeed!"  they  exclaimed.  They  had  seen  the 
announcements  of  our  visit  and  were  greatly  gratified 
at  an  interview  with  the  pigmy  prodigy.  They  at  once 
advised  me  in  the  most  complimentary  and  urgent  man 
ner  to  take  the  General  to  Manchester,  where  they 
resided,  assuring  me  that  an  exhibition  in  that  place 
would  be  highly  remunerative.  I  thanked  my  new 


ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION.  171 

friends  for  their  counsel  and  encouragement,  and 
ventured  to  ask  them  what  price  they  would  recommend 
me  to  charge  for  admission. 

"  The  General  is  so  decidedly  a  curiosity,"  said  the 
lady,  "  that  I  think  you  might  put  it  as  high  as  tup- 
-pence  ! "  (two-pence.) 

She  was,  however,  promptly  interrupted  by  her  hus 
band,  who  was  evidently  the  economist  of  the  family : 
"I  am  sure  you  would  not  succeed  at  that  price,"  said 
he ;  "  you  should  put  admission  at  one  penny,  for  that 
is  the  usual  price  for  seeing  giants  and  dwarfs  in 
England." 

This  was  worse  than  the  ten  dollars  a  week  offer  of 
the  wax-works  proprietor,  but  I  promptly  answered 
"  Never  shall  the  price  be  less  than  one  shilling  ster 
ling  and  some  of  the  nobility  and  gentry  of  England 
will  yet  pay  gold  to  see  General  Tom  Thumb." 

My  letters  of  introduction  speedily  brought  me  into 
friendly  relations  with  many  excellent  families  and  I 
was  induced  to  hire  a  hall  and  present  the  General  to 
the  public,  for  a  short  season,  in  Liverpool.  I  had 
intended  to  proceed  directly  to  London  and  begin 
operations  at  "  head-quarters,"  that  is,  in  Buckingham 
Palace,  if  possible ;  but  I  had  been  advised  that  the 
royal  family  was  in  mourning  for  the  death  of  Prince 
Albert's  father,  and  would  not  permit  the  approach  of 
any  entertainments. 

Meanwhile  confidential  letters  from  London  informed 
me  that  Mr.  Maddox,  Manager  of  Princess's  Theatre, 
was  coming  down  to  witness  my  exhibition,  with  a 
view  to  making  an  engagement.  He  came  privately, 
but  I  was  fully  informed  as  to  his  presence  and  object. 
A  friend  pointed  him  out  to  me  in  the  hall,  and  when 


172  ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SPECULATION. 

I  stepped  up  to  him,  and  called  him  by  name,  he 
was  "  taken  all  aback,"  and  avowed  his  purpose  in 
visiting  Liverpool.  An  interview  resulted  in  an  engage 
ment  of  the  General  for  three  nights  at  Princess's 
Theatre.  I  was  unwilling  to  contract  for  a  longer 
period,  and  even  this  short  engagement,  though  on  lib 
eral  terms,  was  acceded  to  only  as  a  means  of  adver 
tisement.  So  soon,  therefore,  as  I  could  bring  my  short, 
but  highly  successful  season  in  Liverpool  to  a  close,  we 
went  to  London. 


%>  J.JL  j.*.  .L    -L  .LJ  JA.      .A.  1. 
GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  IN  ENGLAND. 

ARRIVAL    IN    LONDON  —  THE    GENERAL'S    DEBUT    IN    THE    PRINCESS*  S     THEATRE 

—  ENORMOUS    SUCCESS — MY    MANSION    AT    THE    WEST    END  —  DAILY  LEVEES 
FOR    THE    NOBILITY    AND    GENTRY  —  HON.    EDWARD     EVERETT  —  HIS    INTER 
EST    IN    THE    GENERAL — VISIT    TO    THE     BARONESS    ROTHSCHILD  —  OPENING 
IN    EGYPTIAN    HALL,    PICCADILLY  —  MR.   CHARLES  MURRAY,   MASTER  OF  THE 

QUEEN'S   HOUSEHOLD — AT   BUCKINGHAM   PALACE   BY   COMMAND    OF   HER 
MAJESTY  —  A  ROYAL  RECEPTION  —  THE  FAVORABLE  IMPRESSION  MADE  BY 

THE   GENERAL  — AMUSING  INCIDENTS  OF  THE  VISIT  —  BACKING  OUT  — FIGHT 
WITH   A    POODLE— COURT  JOURNAL  NOTICE  —  SECOND  VISIT    TO  THE  QUEEN 

—  THE    PRINCE     OF    WALES     AND     PRINCESS     ROYAL  —  THE     QUEEN    OF     THE 
BELGIANS  —  THIRD    VISIT     TO     BUCKINGHAM    PALACE — KING     LEOPOLD,     OF 
BELGIUM  —  ASSURED    SUCCESS  —  THE    BRITISH    PUBLIC  EXCITED  —  EGYPTIAN 
HALL    CROWDED  — QUEEN     DOWAGER    ADELAIDE— THE     GENERAL'S     WATCH 

—  NAPOLEON    AND    THE    DUKE    OF     WELLINGTON — DISTINGUISHED    FRIENDS. 

IMMEDIATELY  after  our  arrival  in  London,  the  General 
came  out  at  the  Princess's  Theatre,  and  made  so  decided 
a  "  hit "  that  it  was  difficult  to  decide  who  was  best 
pleased,  the  spectators,  the  manager,  or  myself.  The 
spectators  were  delighted  because  they  could  not  well 
help  it ;  the  manager  was  satisfied  because  he  had 
coined  money  by  the  engagement;  and  I  was  greatly 
pleased  because  I  now  had  a  visible  guaranty  of  success 
in  London.  I  was  offered  far  higher  terms  for  a  re-en- 
gagement,  but  my  purpose  had  been  already  answered ; 
the  news  was  spread  everywhere  that  General  Tom 
Thumb,  an  unparalleled  curiosity,  was  in  the  city ;  and 
it  only  remained  for  me  to  bring  him  before  the  public, 
on  my  own  account  and  in  my  own  time  and  way. 

I  took  a  furnished  mansion  in  Grafton  Street,  Bond 
Street,  West  End,  in  the  very  centre  of  the  most  fash- 


174        GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  IN  ENGLAND. 

ionable  locality.  The  house  had  previously  been  occu 
pied  for  several  years  by  Lord  Talbot,  and  Lord 
Brougham  and  half  a  dozen  families  of  the  aristocracy 
and  many  of  the  gentry  were  my  neighbors.  From  this 
magnificent  mansion,  I  sent  letters  of  invitation  to  the 
editors  and  several  of  the  nobility,  to  visit  the  General. 
Most  of  them  called,  and  were  highly  gratified.  The 
word  of  approval  was  indeed  so  passed  around  in  high 
circles,  that  uninvited  parties  drove  to  my  door  in  crested 
carriages,  and  were  not  admitted. 

This  procedure,  though  in  some  measure  a  stroke  of 
policy,  was  neither  singular  nor  hazardous,  under  the 
circumstances.  I  had  not  yet  announced  a  public  exhi 
bition,  and  as  a  private  American  gentleman,  it  became 
me  to  maintain  the  dignity  of  my  position.  I  therefore 
instructed  my  liveried  servant  to  deny  admission  to  see 
my  "  ward,"  excepting  to  persons  Avho  brought  cards  of 
invitation.  He  did  it  in  a  proper  manner,  and  no  offence 
could  be  taken,  though  I  was  always  particular  to  send 
an  invitation  immediately  to  such  as  had  not  been 
admitted. 

During  our  first  week  in  London,  the  Hon.  Edward 
Everett,  the  American  Minister,  to  whom  I  had  letters 
of  introduction,  called  and  was  highly  pleased  with  his 
diminutive  though  renowned  countryman.  We  dined 
with  him  the  next  day,  by  invitation,  and  his  family 
loaded  the  young  American  with  presents.  Mr.  Everett 
kindly  promised  to  use  influence  at  the  Palace  in  person, 
with  a  view  to  having  Tom  Thumb  introduced  to  Her 
Majesty  Queen  Victoria. 

A  few  evenings  afterwards  the  Baroness  Rothschild 
sent  her  carriage  for  us.  Her  mansion  is  a  noble  struc- 
ture  in  Piccadilly,  surrounded  by  a  high  wall,  through 


GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  IN  ENGLAND.  175 

the  gate  of  which  our  carriage  was  driven,  and  brought 
up  in  front  of  the  main  entrance.  Here  we  were 
received  by  half  a  dozen  servants,  and  were  ushered  up 
the  broad  flight  of  marble  stairs  to  the  drawing-room, 
where  we  met  the  Baroness  and  a  party  of  twenty  or 
more  ladies  and  gentlemen.  In  this  sumptuous  mansion 
of  the  richest  banker  in  the  world,  we  spent  about  two 
hours,  and  when  we  took  our  leave  a  well-filled  purse 
was  quietly  slipped  into  my  hand.  The  golden  shower 
had  begun  to  fall,  and  that  it  was  no  dream  was  mani 
fest  from  the  fact  that,  very  shortly  afterwards,  a  visit 
to  the  mansion  of  Mr.  Drummond,  another  eminent 
banker,  came  to  the  same  golden  conclusion. 

I  now  engaged  the  "  Egyptian  Hall,"  in  Piccadilly, 
and  the  announcement  of  my  unique  exhibition  was 
promptly  answered  by  a  rush  of  visitors,  in  which  the 
wealth  and  fashion  of  London  were  liberally  repre 
sented.  I  made  these  arrangements  because  I  had  little 
hope  of  being  soon  brought  to  the  Queen's  presence, 
(for  the  reason  before  mentioned,)  but  Mr.  Everett's 
generous  influence  secured  my  object.  I  breakfasted 
at  his  house  one  morning,  by  invitation,  in  company  with 
Mr.  Charles  Murray,  an  author  of  creditable  repute,  who 
held  the  office  of  Master  of  the  Queen's  Household.  In 
the  course  of  conversation,  Mr.  Murray  inquired 
as  to  my  plans,  and  I  informed  him  that  I  intended 
going  to  the  Continent  shortly,  though  I  should  be 
glad  to  remain  if  the  General  could  have  an  inter 
view  with  the  Queen  —  adding  that  such  an  event 
would  be  of  great  consequence  to  me. 

Mr.  Murray  kindly  offered  his  good  offices  in  the 
case,  and  the  next  day  one  of  the  Life  Guards,  a 
tall,  noble-looking  fellow,  bedecked  as  became  his  sta- 


176        GENEBAL  TOM  THUMB  IN  ENGLAND. 

tion,  brought  me  a  note,  conveying  the  Queen's  invita 
tion  to  General  Tom  Thumb  and  his  guardian,  Mr.  Bar- 
num,  to  appear  at  Buckingham  Palace  on  an  evening 
specified.  Special  instructions  were  the  same  day  orally 
given  me  by  Mr.  Murray,  by  Her  Majesty's  command, 
to  suffer  the  General  to  appear  before  her,  as  he  would 
appear  anywhere  else,  without  any  training  in  the  use 
of  the  titles  of  royalty,  as  the  Queen  desired  to  see  him 
act  naturally  and  without  restraint. 

Determined  to  make  the  most  of  the  occasion,  I  put 
a  placard  on  the  door  of  the  Egyptian  Hall:  "  Closed 
this  evening,  General  Tom  Thumb  being  at  Bucking 
ham  Palace  by  command  of  Her  Majesty." 

On  arriving  at  the  Palace,  the  Lord  in  Waiting  put 
me  "  under  drill"  as  to  the  manner  and  form  in  which 
I  should  conduct  myself  in  the  presence  of  royalty.  I 
was  to  answer  all  questions  by  Her  Majesty  through 
him,  and  in  no  event  to  speak  directly  to  the  Queen. 
In  leaving  the  royal  presence  I  was  to  "  back  out," 
keeping  my  face  always  towards  Her  Majesty,  and  the 
illustrious  lord  kindly  gave  me  a  specimen  of  that  sort 
of  backward  locomotion.  How  far  I  profited  by  his 
instructions  and  example,  will  presently  appear. 

We  were  conducted  through  a  long  corridor  to  a 
broad  flight  of  marble  steps,  which  led  to  the  Queen's 
magnificent  picture  gallery,  where  Her  Majesty  and 
Prince  , Albert,  the  Duchess  of  Kent,  and  twenty  or 
thirty  of  the  nobility  were  awaiting  our  arrival.  They 
were  standing  at  the  farther  end  of  the  room  when  the 
doors  were  thrown  open,  and  the  General  walked  in, 
looking  like  a  wax  doll  gifted  with  the  power  of 
locomotion.  Surprise  and  pleasure  were  depicted  on 
the  countenances  of  the  royal  circle  at  beholding  this 


GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  IN  ENGLAND.        177 

remarkable  specimen  of  humanity  so  much  smaller 
than  they  had  evidently  expected  to  find  him. 

The  General  advanced  with  a  firm  step,  and  as  he 
came  within  hailing  distance  made  a  very  graceful  bow, 
and  exclaimed,  "  Good  evening,  Ladies  and  Gentle 
men  !  " 

A  burst  of  laughter  followed  this  salutation.  The 
Queen  then  took  him  by  the  hand,  led  him  about  the 
gallery,  and  asked  him  many  questions,  the  answers  to 
which  kept  the  party  in  an  uninterrupted  strain  of 
merriment.  The  General  familiarly  informed  the 
Queen  that  her  picture  gallery  was  "  first- rate,"  and 
told  her  he  should  like  to  see  the  Prince  of  Wales. 
The  Queen  replied  that  the  Prince  had  retired  to  rest, 
but  that  he  should  see  him  on  some  future  occasion. 
The  General  then  gave  his  songs,  dances,  and  imita 
tions,  and  after  a  conversation  with  Prince  Albert  and 
all  present,  which  continued  for  more  than  an  hour,  we 
were  permitted  to  depart. 

Before  describing  the  process  and  incidents  of  "  back 
ing  out,"  I  must  acknowledge  how  sadly  I  broke  through 
the  counsel  of  the  Lord  in  Waiting.  While  Prince 
Albert  and  others  were  engaged  with  the  General,  the 
Queen  was  gathering  information  from  me  in  regard  to 
his  history,  etc.  Two  or  three  questions  were  put  ancl 
answered  through  the  process  indicated  in  my  drill.  It 
was  a  round-about  way  of  doing  business  not  at  all  to 
my  liking,  and  I  suppose  the  Lord  in  Waiting  was 
seriously  shocked,  if  not  outraged,  when  I  entered 
directly  into  conversation  with  Her  Majesty.  She, 
however,  seemed  not  disposed  to  check  my  boldness, 
for  she  immediately  spoke  directly  to  me  in  obtaining 
the  information  which  she  sought.  I  felt  entirely  at- 


J.78        GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  IN  ENGLAND. 

ease  in  her  presence,  and  could  not  avoid  contrasting 
her  sensible  and  amiable  manners  with  the  stiffness  and 
formality  of  upstart  gentility  at  home  or  abroad. 

The  Queen  was  modestly  attired  in  plain  black,  and 
wore  no  ornaments.  Indeed,  surrounded  as  she  was  by 
ladies  arrayed  in  the  highest  style  of  magnificence,  their 
dresses  sparkling  with  diamonds,  she  was  the  last  per 
son  whom  a  stranger  would  have  pointed  out  in  that 
circle  as  the  Queen  of  England. 

The  Lord  in  Waiting  was  perhaps  mollified  toward 
me  when  he  saw  me  following  his  illustrious  example 
in  retiring  from  the  royal  presence.  He  was  accustomed 
to  the  process,  and  therefore  was  able  to  keep  somewhat 
ahead  (or  rather  aback)  of  me,  but  even  /stepped  rather 
fast  for  the  other  member  of  the  retiring  party.  We  had  a 
considerable  distance  to  travel  in  that  long  gallery  before 
reaching  the  door,  and  whenever  the  General  found  he 
was  losing  ground,  he  turned  around  and  ran  a  few  steps, 
then  resumed  the  position  of  "  backing  out,"  then  turned 
around  and  ran,  and  so  continued  to  alternate 
his  methods  of  getting  to  the  door,  until  the  gallery 
fairly  rang  with  the  merriment  of  the  royal  spectators. 
It  was  really  one  of  the  richest  scenes  I  ever  saw ;  run 
ning,  under  the  circumstances,  was  an  offence  sufficiently 
heinous  to  excite  the  indignation  of  the  Queen's  favorite 
poodle-dog,  and  he  vented  his  displeasure  by  barking 
so  sharply  as  to  startle  the  General  from  his  propriety. 
He,  however,  recovered  immediately,  and  with  his  little 
cane  commenced  an  attack  on  the  poodle,  and  a  funny 
fight  ensued,  which  renewed  and  increased  the  merri 
ment  of  the  royal  party. 

This  was  near  the  door  of  exit.  We  had  scarcely 
passed  into  the  ante-room,  when  one  of  the  Queen's 


GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  IN  ENGLAND.        179 

attendants  came  to  us  with  the  expressed  hope  of  Her 
Majesty  that  the  General  had  sustained  no  damage  — 
to  which  the  Lord  in  Waiting  playfully  added,  that  in 
case  of  injury  to  so  renowned  a  personage,  he  should 
fear  a  declaration  of  war  by  the  United  States ! 

The  courtesies  of  the  Palace  were  not  yet  exhausted, 
for  we  were  escorted  to  an  apartment  in  which  refresh 
ments  had  been  provided  for  us.  We  did  ample  justice 
to  the  viands,  though  my  mind  was  rather  looking  into 
the  future  than  enjoying  the  present.  I  was  anxious 
that  the  "  Court  Journal  "  of  the  ensuing  day  should 
contain  more  than  a  mere  line  in  relation  to  the  Gener 
al's  interview  with  the  Queen,  and,  on  inquiry,  I 
learned  that  the  gentleman  who  had  charge  of  that  fea 
ture  in  the  daily  papers  was  then  in  the  Palace.  He 
was  sent  for  by  my  solicitation,  and  promptly  acceded 
to  my  request  for  such  a  notice  as  would  attract  atten 
tion.  He  even  generously  desired  me  to  give  him  an 
outline  of  what  I  sought,  and  I  was  pleased  to  see  after 
wards,  that  he  had  inserted  my  notice  verbatim. 

This  notice  of  my  visit  to  the  Queen  wonderfully 
increased  the  attraction  of  my  exhibition  and  compelled 
me  to  obtain  a  more  commodious  hall  for  my  exhibition. 
I  accordingly  removed  to  the  larger  room  in  the  same 
building,  for  some  time  previously  occupied  by  our  coun 
tryman,  Mr.  Catlin,  for  his  great  Gallery  of  Portraits 
of  American  Indians  and  Indian  Curiosities,  all  of 
which  remained  as  an  adornment. 

On  our  second  visit  to  the  Queen,  we  were  received 
in  what  is  called  the  "  Yellow  Drawing-Room,"  a  mag 
nificent  apartment,  surpassing  in  splendor  and  gorgeous- 
ness  anything  of  the  kind  I  had  ever  seen.  It  is  on  the 
north  side  of  the  gallery,  and  is  entered  from  that 


180        GENEBAL  TOM  THUMB  IN  ENGLAND. 

apartment.  It  was  hung  with  drapery  of  rich  yellow 
satin  damask,  the  couches,  sofas  and  chairs  being  coh 
ered  with  the  same  material.  The  vases,  urns  and 
ornaments  were  all  of  modern  patterns,  and  the  most 
exquisite  workmanship.  The  room  was  panelled  in  gold, 
and  the  heavy  cornices  beautifully  carved  and  gilt. 
The  tables,  pianos,  etc.,  were  mounted  with  gold,  inlaid 
with  pearl  of  various  hues,  and  of  the  most  elegant 
designs. 

We  were  ushered  into  this  gorgeous  drawing-room 
before  the  Queen  and  royal  circle  had  left  the  dining- 
room,  and,  as  they  approached,  the  General  bowed 
respectfully,  and  remarked  to  Her  Majesty  "  that  he  had 
seen  her  before,"  adding,  "  I  think  this  is  a  prettier  room 
than  the  picture  gallery  ;  that  chandelier  is  very  fine." 

The  Queen  smilingly  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  said 
she  hoped  he  was  very  well. 

44  Yes,  ma'am,"  he  replied,  "  I  am  first  rate." 

"  General,"  continued  the  Queen,  "  this  is  the  Prince 
of  Wales." 

"  How  are  you,  Prince  ? "  said  the  General,  shaking 
him  by  the  hand ;  and  then  standing  beside  the  Prince, 
he  remarked,  "  the  Prince  is  taller  than  I  am,  but  I  feel 
as  big  as  anybody" — upon  which  he  strutted  up  and 
down  the  room  as  proud  as  a  peacock,  amid  shouts  of 
laughter  from  all  present. 

The  Queen  then  introduced  the  Princess  Royal,  and 
the  General  immediately  led  her  to  his  elegant  little 
sofa,  which  we  took  with  us,  and  with  much  politeness 
sat  himself  down  beside  her.  Then,  rising  from  his 
seat,  he  went  through  his  various  performances,  and  the 
Queen  handed  him  an  elegant  and  costly  souvenir, 
which  had  been  expressly  made  for  him  by  her  order  — 


GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  IK  BNGLAtfD. 

for  which,  he  told  her,  "he  was  very  much  obliged, 
and  would  keep  it  as  long  as  he  lived."  The  Queen  of 
the  Belgians,  (daughter  of  Louis  Philippe)  was  present 
on  this  occasion.  She  asked  the  General  where  he  was 
going  when  he  left  London  ] 

66  To  Paris,"  he  replied. 

"  Whom  do  you  expect  to  see  there  ? "  she  continued. 

Of  course  all  expected  he  would  answer,  "the  King 
of  the  French,"  but  the  little  fellow  replied : 

i4 1  shall  see  Monsieur  Guillaudeu  in  Paris." 

The  two  Queens  looked  inquiringly  to  me,  and  when 
I  informed  them  that  M.  Guillaudeu  was  my  French 
naturalist,  who  had  preceded  me  to  Paris,  they  laughed 
most  heartily. 

On  our  third  visit  to  Buckingham  Palace,  Leopold, 
King  of  the  Belgians,  was  also  present.  He  was 
highly  pleased,  and  asked  a  multitude  of  questions. 
Queen  Victoria  desired  the  General  to  sing  a  song,  and 
asked  him  what  song  he  preferred  to  sing. 

"  Yankee  Doodle,"  was  the  prompt  reply. 

This  answer  was  as  unexpected  to  me  as  it  was 
to  the  royal  party.  When  the  merriment  it  occasioned 
somewhat  subsided,  the  Queen  good-humoredly  re 
marked,  c:  That  is  a  very  pretty  song,  General.  Sing  it 
if  you  please."  The  General  complied,  and  soon  after 
wards  we  retired.  I  ought  to  add,  that  after  each  ot 
our  three  visits  to  Buckingham  Palace,  a  very  handsome 
sum  was  sent  to  me,  of  course  by  the  Queen's  com 
mand.  This,  however,  was  the  smallest  part  of  the 
advantage  derived  from  these  interviews,  as  will  be 
at  once  apparent  to  all  who  consider  the  force  of  Court 
example  in  England. 

The   British   public   were  now  fairly  excited.     Not 


182   »     GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  IN  ENGLAND. 

to  have  seen  General  Tom  Thumb  was  decidedly 
unfashionable,  and  from  March  20th  until  July  20th,  the 
levees  of  the  little  General  at  Egyptian  Hall  were  con 
tinually  crowded,  the  receipts  averaging  during  the 
whole  period  about  five  hundred  dollars  per  day,  and 
sometimes  going  considerably  beyond  that  sum.  At 
the  fashionable  hour,  between  fifty  and  sixty  carriages 
of  the  nobility  have  been  counted  at  one  time  standing 
in  front  of  our  exhibition  rooms  in  Piccadilly. 

Portraits  of  the  little  General  were  published  in  all 
the  pictorial  papers  of  the  time.  Polkas  and  quadrilles 
were  named  after  him,  and  songs  were  sung  in  his 
praise.  He  was  an  almost  constant  theme  for  the 
London  Punch,  which  served  up  the  General  and 
myself  so  daintily  that  it  no  doubt  added  vastly  to  our 
receipts. 

Besides  his  three  public  performances  per  day,  the 
little  General  attended  from  three  to  four  private  parties 
per  week,  for  which  we  were  paid  eight  to  ten  guineas 
each.  Frequently  we  would  visit  two  parties  in  the 
same  evening,  and  the  demand  in  that  line  was  much 
greater  than  the  supply.  The  Queen  Dowager  Adelaide 
requested  the  General's  attendance  at  Marlborough 
House  one  afternoon.  He  went  in  his  court  dress,  con 
sisting  of  a  richly  embroidered  brown  silk-velvet  coat 
and  short  breeches,  white  satin  vest  with  fancy-colored 
embroidery,  white  silk  stockings  and  pumps,  wig,  bag- 
wig,  cocked  hat,  and  a  dress  sword. 

"  Why,  General,"  said  the  Queen  Dowager,  "  I  think 
you  look  very  smart  to-day." 

"  I  guess  I  do,"  said  the  General  complacently. 

A  large  party  of  the  nobility  were  present.  The  old 
Duke  of  Cambridge  offered  the  little  General  a  pinch  of 


GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  IN  ENGLAND.         183 

snuff,  which,  he  declined.  The  General  sang  his  songs, 
performed  his  dances,  and  cracked  his  jokes,  to  the  great 
amusement  and  delight  of  the  distinguished  circle  of 
visitors. 

"  Dear  little  General,"  said  the  kind-hearted  Queen, 
taking  him  upon  her  lap,  "  I  see  you  have  got  no  watch. 
Will  you  permit  me  to  present  you  with  a  watch  and 
chain?" 

"  I  would  like  them  very  much,"  replied  the  General, 
his  eyes  glistening  with  joy  as  he  spoke. 

"  I  will  have  them  made  expressly  for  you,"  responded 
the  Queen  Dowager;  and  at  the  same  moment  she 
called  a  friend  and  desired  him  to  see  that  the  proper 
order  was  executed.  A  few  weeks  thereafter  we  were 
called  again  to  Marlborough  House.  A  number  of  the 
children  of  the  nobility  were  present,  as  well  as  some 
of  their  parents.  After  passing  a  few  compliments  with 
the  General,  Queen  Adelaide  presented  him  with  a 
beautiful  little  gold  watch,  placing  the  chain  around  his 
neck  with  her  own  hands.  The  little  fellow  was 
delighted,  and  scarcely  knew  how  sufficiently  to  express 
his  thanks.  The  good  Queen  gave  him  some  excellent 
advice  in  regard  to  his  morals,  which  he  strictly  prom 
ised  to  obey. 

After  giving  his  performances,  we  withdrew  from  the 
royal  presence,  and  the  elegant  little  watch  presented 
by  the  hands  of  Her  Majesty  the  Queen  Dowager  was 
not  only  duly  heralded,  but  was  also  placed  upon  a 
pedestal  in  the  hall  of  exhibition,  together  with  the 
presents  from  Queen  Victoria,  and  covered  with  a 
glass  vase.  These  presents,  to  which  were  soon  added 
an  elegant  gold  snuff-box  mounted  with  turquoise,  pre 
sented  by  his  Grace  the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  and  many 
9 


184  GENEilAL  TOM  THUMB,  IN  ENGLAND. 

other  costly  gifts  of  the  nobility  and  gentry,  added 
greatly  to  the  attractions  of  the  exhibition.  The  Duke 
of  Wellington  called  frequently  to  see  the  little 
General  at  his  public  levees.  The  first  time  he  called, 
the  General  was  personating  Napoleon  Bonaparte, 
marching  up  and  down  the  platform,  and  apparently 
taking  snuff  in  deep  meditation,  lie  was  dressed  in 
the  well-known  uniform  of  the  Emperor.  I  introduced 
•him  to  the  "  Iron  Duke,"  who  inquired  jthe  subject  of 
his  meditations.  "I  was  thinking  of  fhe  Jpss  of  the 
battle  of.  Waterloo,"  was  the  little  General's  immediate 
reply.  This  display  of  wit  was .  chronicled  throughout 
the  country,  and  was  of  itself  worth  thousands  of  pounds 
to  the  exhibition. 

While  we  were  in  London  the  Emperor  Nicholas,  of 
Russia,  visited  Queen  Victoria,  and  I  saw  him  on  sev 
eral  public  occasions.  I  was  present  at  the  grand 
review  of  troops  in  Windsor  Park  in  honor  of  and 
before  the  Emperor  of  Russia  and  the  King  of  Saxony. 

.General  Tom  Thumb  had  visited  the.  King  of,  Saxony 
and  also  Ibrahim  Pacha  who  was  then  in  London.-, -At 
the  different  parties  >ve  attended,  we.  met,-  in  the  course 
of  the  season,  nearly  all  of  the  nobility..  I  do  not 
believe  that  a  single  nobleman  in  England  failed  to  see 
General  Tom  Thumb  at  his  own.  house,  at  the.hpuse  of 
a  friend,  or  at  the  public  levees  at  Egyptian  Hall. ,  The 
General  was  a  decided  pet  with,  some  of  the  first  per 
sonages  in  the  land,  among  whom  may  be  mentioned 
Sir  Robert  and  Lady  Peel,  the  Duke  and, Duchess  of 
Buckingham,  Duke  of  Bedford,  Duke  of  .Devonshire, 
Count  d'Orsay,  Lady  Blessington,  Daniel  O'Connell, 
Lord  Adolphus  Fitzclarence,  Lord  Chesterfield,  Mr.  and 
.Mrs.  Joshua  Bates,  of  the  firm  of  Baring  Brothers  & 

.     '    ».       -.  v         „„'•'"'.,•.    L  ;         *       -K>  I  v*       c         1       r'lj      J  f    •  -• 


GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  IN  ENGLAND.        185 

Co.,  and  many  other  persons  of  distinction.  We  had 
the  free  entree  to  all  the  theatres,  public  gardens,  and 
places  of  entertainment,  and  frequently  met  the  princi 
pal  artists,  editors,  poets,  and  authors  of  the  country. 
Albert  Smith  was  a  particular  friend  of  mine.  He  wrote 
a  play  for  the  General  entitled  "  Hop  o'  my  Thumb," 
which  was  presented  with  great  success  at  the  Lyceum 
Theatre,  London,  and  in  several  of  the  provincial 
theatres.  Our  visit  in  London  and  tour  through  the 
provinces  were  enormously  successful,  and  after  a 
brilliant  season  in  Great  Britain  I  made  preparations 
to  take  the  General  to  Paris 


Y.I  rnoirj  y<»r  a 


vfi/:m 


or!) 

sfft  lo  eioilliii!  hiHi   ef-tooq  ,g-ioJii)0  s 
alf    .enim  lo  bcahl  ifif0aitiiiq  JP,  8i5//   jftijn 

.rfiiu/ii'i'    yra  \)  qoli  "'  fiubitno     iiriOiCJr  )    -Jiil  V>! 

;,P,.H4PT5B   XII. 

9lfj     "ic^      i-i;'«J3^  feAi^CEl^:is 


QOmG  OVEll  TO  ARRANGE   PRELIMIKARIES  —  PREVIOUS    VISIT   TO    PARIS  —  ROBERT 
HOIliblX  —  WO^DEltF  Ut  MECHANICAL   TOYS  —THE    AUTOMATON  LETTER-  WRITEli 

—  DION  BOUCICAULT-TT-.TA|C  ON  NATURAL  CURIOSITIES  —  HOW  i  COMPROMISER  — 

THE  GENERAL  AND  PARTY  IN  PARIS  —  FIRST  VIS^T  TO  KING  LOUIS  PHILIPPE  — 
A  SPLENDID  PRESENT  —  DIPLOMACY-"-  1  ASK  A  FAVOR*  AND^  KiET  IT—  LONG 
CHAMPS  —  THE  GENERAL'S  EQUIPAGE  —  THE  FINEST  ADVERTISEMENT  EVER 
KNOWN  —  ALL  PARIS  IN  A  FUROR  —  OPENING  OF  THE  LEVEES  —  "  TOM  POUCE  " 
EVERYWHERE  —  THE  GENERAL  AS  AN  ACTOR  —  "  PETIT  POUCET"  —  SECOND 
AND  THIRD  VISITS  AT  THE  TUILERIES  —  INVITATION  TO  ST.  CLOUD  —  THE 
GENERAL  PERSONATING  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE  —  ST.  DENIS  —  THE  INVALIDES 

—  REGNIER  —  ANECDOTE    OF  FRANKLIN  —  LEAVING    PARIS  —  TOUR    THROUGH 
FRANCE  —  DEPARTURE  FOR  BRUSSELS. 

BEFORE  taking  the  little  General  and  party  to  Paris, 
I  went  over  alone  to  arrange  the  preliminaries  for  our 
campaign  in  that  city.  Paris  was  not  altogether  a 
strange  place  to  me.  Months  before,  when  I  had  suc 
cessfully  established  my  exhibition  in  London,  I  ran 
over  to  Paris  to  see  what  I  could  pick  up  in  the  way  of 
curiosities  for  my  Museum  in  New  York,  for  during  my 
whole  sojourn  abroad,  and  amid  all  the  excitements  of 
my  new  career,  I  never  forgot  the  interests  of  my  many 
and  generous  patrons  at  home.  The  occasion  which 
first  called  me  to  France  was  the  "  quinquennial  exposi 
tion  "  in  Paris.  At  that  time,  there  was  an  assemblage, 
every  five  years,  of  inventors  and  manufacturers  who 
exhibited  specimens  of  their  skill,  especially  in  articles 
of  curious  and  ingenious  mechanism,  and  I  went  from 
London  mainly  to  attend  this  exposition. 


IN   FKANCE.  187 

There  I  met  and  became  well  acquainted  with  Robert 
Houdin,  the  celebrated  conjurer.  He  was  a  watch- 
maker  by  trade,  but  very  soon  displayed  a  wonderful 
ability  and  ingenuity  which  he  devoted  with  so  much 
assiduity  to'  the  construction  of  a  complicated  machine, 
that  he  lost  all  mental  power  for  a  considerable  period. 
When  he  recovered,  he  employed  himself  with  great 
success  in  the  manufacture  of  mechanical  toys  and 
automata  which  attracted  much  attention,  and  afterwards 
he  visited  Great  Britain  and  other  countries,  giving  a 
series  of  juggling  exhibitions  which  were  famous 
throughout  Europe. 

At  this  quinquennial  exposition  which  I  attended,  he 
received  a  gold  medal  for  his  automata,  and  the  best 
figure  which  he  had  on  exhibition  I  purchased  at  a  good 
round  price.  It  was  an  automaton  writer  and  artist,  a 
most  ingenious  little  figure,  which  sat  at  a  table,  and 
readily  answered  with  the  pencil  certain  questions. 
For  instance :  if  asked  for  an  emblem  of  fidelity,  the 
figure  instantly  drew  a  correct  picture  of  a  handsome 
dog ;  the  emblem  of  love  was  shown  in  an  exquisite 
drawing  of  a  little  Cupid ;  the  automaton  would  also 
answer  many  questions  in  writing.  I  carried  this  curi 
ous  figure  to  London  and  exhibited  it  for  some  time  in 
the  Royal  Adelaide  Gallery,  and  then  sent  it  across  the 
Atlantic  to  the  American  Museum. 

During  my  very  brief  visit  to  Paris,  Houdin  was  giv 
ing  evening  performances  in  the  Palais  Roy  ale,  in  leger 
demain,  and  I  was  frequently  present  by  invitation. 
Houdin  also  took  pains  to  introduce  me  to  other  in 
ventors  of  moving  figures  which  I  purchased  freely, 
and  made  a  prominent  feature  in  my  Museum  attrac 
tions.  I  managed,  too,  during  my  short  stay,  to  see 


188  IN  FRANCE. 

something  of  the  surface  of  the  finest  city  in  the 
world. 

And  now,  going  to  Paris  the  second  time,  I  was  very 
fortunate  in  making  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Dion 
Boucicault,  who  was  then  temporarily  sojourning  in 
that  city,  and  who  at  once  kindly  volunteered  to  advise 
and  assist  me  in  regard  to  numerous  matters  of  impor 
tance  relating  to  the  approaching  visit  of  the  General. 
He  spent  a  day  with  me  in  the  search  for  suitable 
accommodations  for  my  company,  and  by  giving  me  the 
benefit  of  his  experience,  he  saved  me  much  trouble 
and  expense.  I  have  never  forgotten  the  courtesy 
extended  to  me  by  this  gentleman. 

I  stopped  at  the  Hotel  Bedford,  and  securing  an 
interpreter,  began  to  make  my  arrangements.  The  first 
difficulty  in  the  way  was  the  government  tax  for  exhibit 
ing  natural  curiosities,  which  was  no  less  than  one- 
fourth  of  the  gross  receipts,  while  theatres  paid  only 
eleven  per  cent.  This  tax  was  appropriated  to  the 
benefit  of  the  city  hospitals.  Now,  I  knew  from  my 
experience  in  London,  that  my  receipts  would  be  so 
large  as  to  make  twenty-five  per  cent  of  them  a  far 
more  serious  tax  than  I  thought  I  ought  to  pay  to  the 
French  government,  even  for  the  benefit  of  the  admi 
rable  hospitals  of  Paris.  Accordingly,  I  went  to  the 
license  bureau  and  had  an  interview  with  the  chief.  I 
told  him  I  was  anxious  to  bring  a  "  dwarf"  to  Paris,  but 
that  the  percentage  to  be  paid  for  a  license  was  so  large 
as  to  deter  me  from  bringing  him ;  but  letting  the  usual 
rule  go,  what  should  I  give  him  in  advance  for  a  two 
months'  license'? 

"  My  dear  sir,"  he  answered,  "  you  had  better  not 
come  at  all ;  these  things  never  draw,  and  you  will  do 


IN  FRANCE.  189 

nothing,  or  so  little  that  the  percentage  need  not  trouble 
you." 

T  expressed  my  willingness  to  try  the  experiment  and 
offered  one  thousand  francs  in  advance  for  a  license. 
The  chief  would  not  consent  and  I  then  offered  two 
thousand  francs.  This  opened  his  eyes  to  a  chance  for 
a  speculation  and  he  jumped  at  my  offer;  he  would  do 
it  on  his  own  account,  he  said,  and  pay  the  amount  of 
one-quarter  of  my  receipts  to  the  hospitals  ;  he  was 
perfectly  safe  in  making  such  a  contract,  he  thought, 
for  he  had  15,000  francs  in  bank.  ?jfc' / 

But  I  declined  to  arrange  this  with  him  individually, 
so  he  called  his  associates  together  and  presented  the 
matter  in  such  a  way  that  the  board  took  my  offer  on 
behalf  of  the  government.  I  paid  down  the  2,000 
francs  and  received  a  good,  strong  contract  and  license. 
The  chief  was  quite  elated  and  handed  me  the  license 
with  the  remark : 

"  Now  we  have  made  an  agreement,  and  if  you  do  not 
exhibit,  or  if  your  dwarf  dies  during  the  two  months 
you  shall  not  get  back  your  money." 

"  All  right,"  thought  I ;  "if  you  are  satisfied  I  am 
sure  I  have  every  reason  to  be  so."  I  then  hired  at  a 
large  rent,  the  Salle  Musard,  Hue  Vivienne,  in  a  central 
and  fashionable  quarter  close  by  the  boulevards,  and 
engaged  an  interpreter,  ticket-seller,  and  a  small  but 
excellent  orchestra.  In  fact,  I  made  the  most  complete 
arrangements,  even  to  starting  the  preliminary  para 
graphs  in  the  Paris  papers  ;  and  after  calling  on  the 
Honorable  William  Rufus  King,  the  United  States  Min 
ister  at  the  Court  of  France  —  who  assured  me  that 
after  my  success  in  London  there  would  be  no  difficulty 
whatever  in  my  presentation  to  King  Louis  Philippe 
and  family  —  I  returned  to  England. 

9* 


190  IN   FRANCE. 

I  went  back  to  Paris  with  General  Tom  Thumb  and 
party  some  time  before  I  intended  to  begin  my  exhibi 
tions,  and  on  the  very  day  after  my  arrival  I  received  a 
special  command  to  appear  at'the-  Tuileries  on  the  fol 
lowing  Sunday  evening.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
Louis  :Philipp!e*s  daughter,  the  wife  of- King  Leopold, 
of  Belgium,  'had  seen  the  General  at  Buckingham 
Palace  —  &  fact  that  had  been  duly  chronicled'  in  the 
French:  as  well '  as  English  panel's,  and  I  hav6  ho  doubt 
that  she :  had  privately  expressed  her  gratification  at  See 
ing  him.  With  this  advantage,  and  with-  ;  the  prestige 
of  !6tir  'receptions  by  Queen  Victoria  and  Prince  Albert, 
we' went  to  the  Tuileries  with  full  confidence  that  -our 
visit  and  deception  would  be  entirely  satisfactory. 
-'A-i'the^ppftinted  hou^  the  General  and  I,  arrayed  in 
the  conventional  court  costume, -were ''ushered  into  a 
grand  saloon  of  the ;  palace  where  we  ^were  introduced 
to  the  King,  the  Queen,  Princess  Adelaide,  the  Duchess 
d'Orleans  and  her  son  the  Count  !)de!  Pansy  Prince  de 
Joinville,  Duke  and  Duchess  de  Nemours,  -the  'Dirchess 
d'Aumale,  and  a  dozen  or  more',  distinguished  persons, 
among  whom  'was  the  editor  of*  the-  official  Joifi'ttat  des 
Debats.  The'coirt  circle  entered  into  conversation  with 
us  without  restraint,  and  were  greatly  "delighted  with 
the  little  General.'  King  -Louis'*  Phflippfc  was  minute  in 
his  inquiries  about  "my  conn  try  and  talked  freely  about 
his  experiences  \th6i*<iit  wandered  as  an  !  exile  in 
America.  He  playfully  Alluded  to  the  time  when-  he 
earned  his  living  as  a  tutor,  and  said  'he  had  rotighed  it 
generally  '£nd  >h;ad "even  $le\ri  in  Indian  wigWams.  Gen 
eral  Toni !  Thumb  then  went  tHrottgh  tvith  his  varioirs 
performances  to  the  manifest  pleasure  of  all  who  Were 
present,  and  at  the  close' the  ffing  presented  to  him  a 

' 


IN  FRANCE.  191 

large  emerald  brooch  set  with  diamonds.  The  General 
expressed  his  gratitude,  arid  the  King,  turning  to  me, 
said  :  "  you  may  put  it  on  the  General,  if  you  please," 
which  I  did,  to  the  evident  gratification  of1  the  King  as 
well  as  the  General. 

King  Louis  Philippe  was  so  condescending  and  courte 
ous,  that  I  felt  quite  at  home  in  the  royal  presence,  and 
ventured  upon  a  bit  of  diplomacy.  The  Longchamps 
celebration  was  coming  —  a  day1  once  devoted  to  relig 
ious  ceremony,  but  now  conspicuous  for  the  display  of 
court  and  fashidnable  equipages  in  the  Champs  Elysees 
and  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  and  as  the  King  was  famil 
iarly  conversing  with  me,  I  ventured  to  say  that  I  had 
hurried  over  to  Paris  to  take  part  in  the  Longchamps  dis 
play  and  I  asked  him  if  the  General's  carriage  could 
not  be  permitted  to  appear  in  the  avenue  reserved  for 
the  court  and  the  diplomatic  corps,  representing  that 
th'6'  General's  small  but  elegant  establishment,  with  its 
ponies  and  little  coachman  and  footman,  would  be  in 
danger  of  damage  in  the  general  throng  unless  the 
special  privilege  I  asked  was  accorded. 

The  King  smilingly  turned  to  one  of  the  officers  of 
his  household  and  after  conversing  with  him  for  a  few 
moments  he  said  to  me : 

"  Call  on  the  Prefect  of  Police  to-morrow  afternoon 
and  you  will  find  a  permit  ready  for  you.": 

Our  visit  occupied  two  hours,  and  when  we  went 
away  the  General  was  loaded  with  fine  presents.  The 
next  morning  all  the  newspapers  noticed  the  visit,  and 
the  Journal  des  Debats  gave  a  minute  account  of  the 
interview  and  of  the  General's  performances,  taking 
occasion  to  say,  in  speaking  of  the  character  parts,  that 
"  there  was  one  costume  which  the  General  wisely' kept 


192  IN  FRANCE. 

at  the  bottom  of  his  box."  That  costume,  however,  — 
the  uniform  of  Bonaparte  —  was  once  exhibited,  by 
particular  request,  as  will  be  seen  anon. 

Longchamps  day  arrived,  and  among  the  many 
splendid  equipages  on  the  grand  avenue,  none  attracted 
more  attention  than  the  superb  little  carriage  with  four 
ponies  and  liveried  and  powdered  coachman  and  foot 
man,  belonging  to  the  General,  and  conspicuous  in  the 
line  of  carriages  containing  the  Ambassadors  to  the 
Court  of  France.  Thousands  upon  thousands  rent  the 
air  with  cheers  for  "  General  Tom  Pouce."  There 
never  was  such  an  advertisement ;  the  journals  next 
clay  made  elaborate  notices  of  the  u  turnout,"  and  there 
after  whenever  the  General's  carriage  appeared  on  the 
boulevards,  as  it  did  daily,  the  people  flocked  to  the 
doors  of  the  cafes  and  shops  to  see  it  pass. 

Thus,  before  I  opened  the  exhibition  all  Paris  knew 
that  General  Tom  Thumb  was  in  the  city.  The  French 
are  exceedingly  impressible  ;  and  what  in  London  is  only 
excitement,  in  Paris  becomes  furor.  Under  this  pressure, 
with  the  prestige  of  my  first  visit  to  the  Tuileries  and  the 
numberless  paragraphs  in  the  papers,  I  opened  my  doors 
to  an  eager  throng.  The  elite  of  the  city  came  to  the 
exhibition ;  the  first  day's  receipts  were  5,500  francs, 
which  would  have  been  doubled  if  I  could  have  made 
room  for  more  patrons.  There  were  afternoon  and 
evening  performances  and  from  that  day  secured  seats 
at  an  extra  price  were  engaged  in  advance  for  the  entire 
two  months.  The  season  was  more  than  a  success,  it 
was  a  triumph. 

It  seemed,  too,  as  if  the  whole  city  was  advertising 
me.  The  papers  were  profuse  in  their  praises  of  the 
General  and  his  performances.  Figaro,  the  Punch  of 


IN   FRANCE.  193 

Paris,  gave  a  picture  of  an  immense  mastiff  running 
away  with  the  General's  carriage  and  horses  in  his 
mouth.  Statuettes  of  "  Tom  '  Poutfe  " "appeared  in  all 
the  windows,  in  plaster,  Parian,  sugar  and  chocolate  ; 
songs  were  written  about  him  and  his  lithograph  was 
seen  everywhere.  :  A  fine  cafe*  on  one  of  the  boulevards 
took  the7  name  of  "  Tom  Pouce  "  and  displayed  over  the 
door  a  life-size  statue  of  the  General.  In  Paris,  as  in 
London,  several  eminent  ^aititers  expressed  their  desire 
to ']baint-:  hii  portrait,  but  the  General's  engagements 
were  so  pressing  that  he  found  little  time  to  sit  to  artists. 
All  the  leading  actors  and  'actresses  came  to  the  Gen 
eral's  levees  and  petted  him  and  made  him 'many  pre 
sents.  Meanwhile,  the  daily  receipts  continued  to  swell, 
and  I  was  compelled  to  take  a  cab  to  cdrry  my  bag  of 
silver  home  at  night. 

The  official, 'Tvho  had  compromised  with  me  for  a  two 
months'  license  at'  2,000  francs,  was  amazed  as  well  as 
annoyed  'at  the  success  of  my  "  dwarf."  He  came,  or 
sent  a  man,  to  the  levees  to  take  account  of  the  receipts 
and  every  additional  thousand  francs  gave  him  an  addi 
tional  twinge.  He  seriously  appealed  to  me  to  give  him 
more  money,  but  when  I  reminded  him  of  the  excellent 
bargain  he  supposed  he  was  making,  especially  when 
he  added  the  conditional  clause  that  I  should  forfeit  the 
2,000  francs  if  I  did  not  exhibit  or  if  the  General  died,  he 
smiled  faintly  and  said  something  about  a  "  Yankee 
trick."  I  asked  him  if  he  would  renew  our  agreement 
for  two  months  more  on  the  same  terms  ;  and  he  shrug 
ged  his  shoulders  and  said : 

"No,  Monsieur  Barnum ;  you  will  pay  me  twenty- 
five  per  cent  of  your  receipts  when  the  two  months  of 
our  contract  expires.'' 


194:  IN  FRANCE. 

But  I  did  not ;  for  I  appealed  to  the  authorities, 
claiming  that  I  should  pay  only  the  ordinary  theatrical 
tax,  since  the  General's  exhibition  consisted  chiefly  of 
character  imitations  in  various  costumes,  and  he  was 
more  attractive  as  an  actor  than  as  a  natural  curiosity. 
My  view  of  the  case  was  decided  to  be  correct,  and 
thereafter,  in  Paris  and  throughout  France,  with  few 
exceptions,  I  paid  only  the  eleven  per  cent  theatrical  tax. 

Indeed,  in  Paris,  the  General  made  a  great  hit  as  an 
actor  and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  French  Dra 
matic  Society.  Besides  holding  his  levees,  he  appeared 
every  night  at  the  Vaudeville  Theatre  in  a  French  play, 
entitled  "  Petit  Poucet,"  and  written  expressly  for  him, 
and  he  afterwards  repeated  the  part  with  great  success  in 
other  cities.  The  demands  upon  our  time  were  inces 
sant.  We  were  invited  everywhere  to  dinners  and 
entertainments,  and  as  many  of  these  were  understood 
to  be  private  performances  of  the  General,  we  were 
most  liberally  remunerated  therefor.  M.  Galignani 
invited  us  to  a  soiree  and  introduced  us  to  some  of  the 
most  prominent  personages,  including  artists,  actors 
and  editors,  in  Paris.  The  General  was  frequently 
engaged  at  a  large  price  to  show  himself  for  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  at  some  fancy  or  charitable  fair,  and  much 
money  was  made  in  this  way.  On  Sundays,  he  was 
employed  at  one  or  another  of  the  great  gardens  in 
the  outskirts,  and  thus  was  seen  by  thousands  of 
working  people  who  could  not  attend  his  levees  All 
classes  became  acquainted  with  "  Tom  Pouce." 

We  were  commanded  to  appear  twice  more  at  the 
Tuileries,  and  we  were  also  invited  to  the  palace  on  the 
King's  birthday  to  witness  the  display  of  fireworks  in 
honr'  of  the  anniversary.  Our  fourth  and  last  visit  to 


IN  FRANCE.  195 

the  royal  family  was  by  special  invitation  at  St.  Cloud. 
On  each  occasion  we  met  nearly  the  same  persons,  but 
the  visit  to  St.  Cloud  was  by  far  the  most  interesting  of 
our  interviews.  On  this  one  occasion,  and  by  the 
special  request  of  the  King,  the  General  personated 
Napoleon  Bonaparte  in  full  costume.  Louis  Philippe 
had  heard  of  the  General  in  this  character,  and  particu 
larly  desired  to  see  him ;  but  the  affair  was  quite  "  on 
the  sly,"  and  no  mention  was  made  of  it  in  the  papers, 
particularly  in  the  Journal  des  Debats,  which  thought, 
no  doubt,  that  costume  was  still  "  at  the  bottom  of  the 
General's  box."  We  remained  an  hour,  and  at  parting, 
each  of  the  royal  company  gave  the  General  a  splendid 
present,  almost  smothered  him  with  kisses,  wished  him 
a  safe  journey  through  France,  and  a  long  and  happy 
life.  After  bidding  them  adieu,  we  retired  to  another 
portion  of  the  palace  to  make  a  change  of  the  General's 
costume,  and  to  partake  of  some  refreshments  which 
were  prepared  for  us.  Half  an  hour  afterwards,  as  we 
were  about  leaving  the  palace,  we  went  through  a  hall 
leading  to  the  front  door,  and  in  doing  so  passed  the 
fitting-room  in  which  the  royal  family  were  spending 
the  evening.  The  door  was  open,  and  some  of  them 
happening  to  espy  the  General,  called  out  for  him  to 
come  in  and  shake  hands  with  them  once  more.  We 
entered  the  apartment,  and  there  found  the  ladies  sitting 
around  a  square  table,  each  provided  with  two  candles, 
and  every  one  of  them,  including  the  Queen,  was  en 
gaged  in  working  at  embroidery,  while  a  young  lady 
was  reading  aloud  for  their  edification.  I  am  sorry  to 
say,  I  believe  this  is  a  sight  seldom  seen  in  families  of 
the  aristocracy  on  either  side  of  the  water.  At  the 
church  fairs  in  Paris,  I  had  frequently  seen  pieces  of 


196  Eff  FRANCE. 

embroidery  for  sale,  which  were  labelled  as  having  been 
presented  and  worked  by  the  Duchess  d'Orleans,  Prin 
cess  Adelaide,  Duchess  de  Nemours,  and  other  titled 
ladies. 

We  also  visited,  by  invitation,  the  Napoleon  School 
for  young  ladies,  established  by  the  First  Napoleon,  at 
St.  Denis,  five  miles  north  of  Paris,  and  the  General 
greatly  delighted  the  old  pensioners  at  the  Invalides  by 
calling  upon  them,  and  shaking  many  of  them  by  the 
hand.  If  the  General  could  have  been  permitted  to 
present  to  these  survivors  of  Waterloo  his  representa 
tion  of  their  chief  and  Emperor,  he  would  have  aroused 
their  enthusiasm  as  well  as  admiration. 

Ori  the  Fourth  of  July,  1844, 1  was  in  Grenelle,  out 
side  the  barriers  of  Paris,  when  I  remembered  that  I 
had  the  address  of  Monsieur  Kegnier,  an  eminent 
mechanician,  who  lived  in  the  vicinity.  Wishing  to 
purchase  a  variety  of  instruments  such  as  he  manufac 
tured,  I  called  at  his  residence.  He  rtfceived  me  Very 
politely,  and  I  soon  was  deeply  interested  in  this  intelli 
gent  and  learned  man.  He  was  a  member  of  many 
scientific  institutions,  was  "  Chevalier  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor"  etc 

While  he  was  busy  in  making  out  my  bill,  I  was 
taking  a  cursory  view  of  the  various  plates,  drawings, 
etc.,  which  adorned  his  walls,  when  my  eyes  fell  on  a 
portrait  which  wag  familiar  to  me.  I  was  certain  that  I 
could  not  be  mistaken,  and  on  approaching  nearer  it  proved 
to  be,  as  I  expected,  the  engraved  portrait  of  Benjamin 
Franklin.  It  was  placed  in  a  glazed  frame,  and  on  the 
outside  of  the  glass  were  arranged  thirteen  stars  made  of 
metal,  forming  a  half  circle  round  his  head. 

"  Ah ! "  I  exclaimed,  "  I  see  you  have  here  a  portrait 
of  my  fellow-countryman,  Dr.  Franklin.  " 


IN  FRANCE.  197 

"  Yes,"  replied  M.  Eegnier,  "•  and  he  was  a  great  and 
an  excellent  man.  When  he  was  in  Paris  in  '98,  he 
was  honored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him,  and 
by  none  more  so  than  by  the  scientific  portion  of  the 
community;  At  that  time,  Dr.  Franklin  was 'invited  by 
the  President  of  the  Society  of  Emulation  to  decide  upon 
the  merits  of  Various  works  of  art  submitted  for  inspec 
tion,  and  he  awarded  my  father,-  for  a  complicated  lock, 
the  prize  of 'a  gold  medal. 

"  While  my  father  was  with  him  at  his  hotel,  a  young 
Quaker  called  upon  the  Doctor.  He  was  a  total 
stranger  to  Franklin,  but  at  once  proceeded  to  inform 
him  that  he  had  come  to  Paris  on  business,  had  unfortu 
nately  lost  all  his  money, ?  and  '  Wished  to  borrow  six 
hundred  francs  to  enable  him  to  return  to  his  family  in 
Philadelphia.  Franklin  inquired  his  family  name,  and 
upon  hearing  it  immediately  counted  but  the  money, 
gave  the  young  stranger  some  excellent  advice,  and  bade 
him  adieu.  My  father  Was  struck  by  the  generosity  of 
Dr.  Franklin,  and  as  soon  as  the  young  man  had 
departed,  he  told  the  Doctor  that  he  was  astonished  to 
see  him  so  free  with  his  money  to  a  stranger  ;  that 
people  did  not  do  business  .  in  that  way  in  Paris ;  and 
what  he  considered  very  careless  was,  that  Franklin 
took  no  receipt,  not  even  a  scratch  of  a  pen  from  the 
young  man.  Franklin  replied  that  he  always  felt  a  duty 
and  pleasure  in  relieving  his  fellow-men,  and  especially 
in  this  case,  aS  he  knew' the  family,  and  they  were 
honest  and  worthy  persons.  My  father,  himself  a  'gen 
erous  man,"  continued  M.  Regnier,  "was  affected 
nearly  to  tears,  and  begged  the  Doctor  to  present 
him' with  his 'portrait.  He  did  so,  and  this  is  it.  My 
father  has  been  dead  some  years.  He  bequeathed  the 


198  IN  FRANCE. 

portrait  to  me,  and  there  is  not  mqney  enough  in  Paris 
to  buy  it." 

I  need  not  say  that  I  was  delighted  with  this  recital. 
I  remarked  to  M.  Regnier  that  he  should  double  the 
number  of  stars,  as  we  now  (in  1844)  had  twenty-six 
States  instead  of  thirteen,  the  original  number. 

"  I  am  aware  of  that,"  he  replied ;  "  but  I  do  not  like 
to  touch  the  work  which  was  left  by  my  father.  I  hold 
it  sacred ;  and,"  added  he,  "  I  suppose  you  are  not 
aware  of  the  uses  we  make  of  these  stars  ? "  Assuring 
him  in  the  negative — "  Those  stars,"  said  he,  "  are  made 
of  steel,  and  on  the  night  of  every  anniversary  of  Amer 
ican  Independence  (which  is  this  night),  it  was  always 
the  practice  of  my  father,  and  will  always  be  mine,  to 
collect  our  family  and  children  together,  darken  the 
room,  and  by  means  of  electricity,  these  stars,  which  are 
connected,  are  lighted  up,  and  the  portrait  illuminated 
by  electricity,  Franklin's  favorite  science  —  thus  form 
ing  a  halo  of  glory  about  his  head,  and  doing  honor  to 
the  name  of  a  man  whose  fame  should  be  perpetuated 
to  eternity." 

In  continuing  the  conversation,  I  found  that  this  good 
old  gentleman  was  perfectly  acquainted  with  the  history 
of  America,  and  he  spoke  feelingly  of  what  he  believed 
to  be  the  high  and  proud  destiny  of  our  republic.  He 
insisted  on  my  remaining  to  supper,  and  witnessing  his 
electrical  illumination.  Need  I  say  that  I  accepted  the 
invitation  ?  Could  an  American  refuse  ? 

We  partook  of  a  substantial  supper,  upon  which  the 
good  old  gentleman  invoked  the  blessing  of  our  Father 
in  Heaven,  and  at  the  conclusion  he  returned  hearty 
thanks.  At  nine  o'clock  the  children  and  family  of  M. 
llegnier  and  his  son-in-law  were  called  in,  the  room  wtis 


IN  FRANCE.  199 

darkened,  the  electrical  battery  was  charged,  and  the 
wire  touched  to  one  of  the  outer  stars.  The  whole  thir 
teen  became  instantly  bright  as  fire,  and  a  beautiful 
effect  was  produced.  What  more  simple  and  yet  beau 
tiful  and  appropriate  manner  could  be  chosen  to  honor 
the  memory  of  Franklin  1  And  what  an  extraordinary 
coincidence  it  was  that  I,  a  total  stranger  in  Paris,  should 
meet  such  a  singular  man  as  M.  Regnier  at  all,  and  more 
especially  on  that  day  of  days,  the  anniversary  of  our 
Independence  !  At  ten  o'clock  I  took  my  leave  of  this 
worthy  family,  but  not  till  we  had  all  joined  in  the  fol 
lowing  toast  proposed  by  M.  Regnier : 

•"  Washington,  Franklin,  and  Lafayette  —  heroes, 
philosophers,  patriots,  and  honest  men:  May  their 
names  stand  brightest  on  the  list  of  earthly  glory,  when, 
in  after  ages,  this  whole  world  shall  be  one  universal 
republic,  and  every  individual  under  Heaven  shall 
acknowledge  the  truth  that  man  is  capable  of  self-gov 
ernment." 

It  will  not  be  considered  surprising  that  I  should  feel 
at  home  with  Monsieur  llegnier.  Both  the  day  and  the 
man  conspired  to  excite  and  gratify  my  patriotism  ;  and 
the  presence  of  Franklin,  my  love  of  my  native  land. 

During  my  stay  in  Paris,  a  Russian  Prince,  who  had 
been  living  in  great  splendor  in  that  city,  suddenly  died, 
and  his  household  and  personal  effects  were  sold  at 
auction.  I  attended  the  sale  for  several  days  in  succes 
sion,  buying  many  articles  of  vertu,  and,  among  others, 
a  magnificent  gold  tea-set,  and  a  silver  dining-service, 
and  many  rare  specimens  of  Sevres  china.  These  arti 
cles  bore  the  initials  of  the  family  name  of  the  Prince, 
and  his  own,  "  P.  T.,"  thus  damaging  the  articles,  so  that 
the  silver  and  gold  were  sold  for  their  weight  value 


200  IN  1WANCK 

only.     1  bought  them,  and, adding  "  B."  to  the  «  P..  T.," 

had  a  very  line  table  service,  still  in  my  possession,  and 
..bearing  my  own  initials,  "  P.  T.  B." 

While  dining  one  day  with  my  friend,  Dr.  Bre.vvster, 
,jijL  Paris,  all  the  company  present  were  in  raptures  over 
..k,pme  very  fine  "  Laiitte  "  wine  on  the  table,  and  the 
usual  exclamations,  "  delicious  !  "  and  "  fruity  !  "  were 
heard  on  all  sides.  When  I  went  to  the.  south  of 
France,  the  Doctor  gave  me  p  letter  of  introduction  to 
Lafittc's  agent,  Mr.  Good,  at  Bordeaux,  and  I  was  shown 
through  the  extensive  cellars  of  the  establishment.  The 
agent  talked  learnedly,  almost,  affectionately,  about  the 
choice  and  exclusive  vineyards  of  the  establishing^  and 
how  t)^/ stones  .in  the  ground  retained,  the  warmth  de 
rived  from  the  sun  during  the  day  throughout  the  night, 
thus  mellowing  and  maturing  the  grapes,  and  resulting 
in  the  production  of  a  pen i liar , win.e,  which  was  possibje 
to  no  other  plot  of  ground  in  .the.pntire,  grape  country. 
I  afterwards  learned,  however,  that  this  exclusive 
establishment  bought  up  the  entire  wine  product  of  all  the 
vineyards  in  the  region  round  about— ify was. like  the  cqje- 
brated  "  Cabana"  cigars  in  Havana.,  ,.pn,eday  a  friend 
was  dining  with  me  in  Bordeaux  and  I  called  for  a  bottle 
of  u  Lafitte,"  which,  purchased  on  the  very,  ground  of  its 
manufacture,  was  of  course  genuine  and  delicionsly 
"  fruity."  It  was  very  old  wine  of  some  famous  year, 
and  .the  bottle  us  brought  up  from  the  bin  was  covered 
with  cobwebo  and  dust.  But  while  we  were  sipping  tin,' 
wine  and  exclaiming  "  fruity."  at  proper  intervals,  I  hap 
pened  to  take  out  my  knife  and  quite  inadvertently  cut 
oif  a.  bit  of  the  label.  The  next  day  when  my  friend 
was  again  dining  with  me  I  called  for  another  bottle  of 
the  peculiar  Lahtte  which  had  so  delighted  us,  yesterday- 


IN   FRANCE.  201 

It  came  cobwebbed  and  dust-covered  and  was  duly  dis 
cussed  and  pronounced  deliciously  "  fruity."  But  hor 
rors  !  all  at  once,  something  caught  my  attention  and  I 
exclaimed : 

"  Do  you  see  that  cut  label  ?  That  is  the  very  bottle 
which  held  the  rare  old  wine  of  yesterday  ;  there  is  the 
4  ear-mark '  which  I  left  with  my  knife  on.  the  bottle  "  — 
and  I  summoned  the  landlord  and  thus  addressed  him  : 

"  What  do  you  mean,  you  scoundrel,  by  putting  your 
infernal  vin  ordinaire  into  old  bottles,  and  passing  it  off 
upon  us  as  genuine  '  Lafltte?"5 

He  protested  that  such  a  thing  was  impossible ;  we 
were  at  the  very  fountain  head  of  the  wine,  and  no  one 
would  dare  to  attempt  such  a  fraud,  especially  upon 
experienced  wine-tasters  like  ourselves.  But  I  showed 
him  my  careless  but  remembered  mark  on  the  bottle, 
and  proved  by  my  friend  that  we  had  the  same  bottle 
for  our  wine  of,  the  day  before.  This  was  shown  so  con 
clusively  and  emphatically  that  the  landlord  finally 
confessed  his  fraud,  and  said  that  though  he  had  sold 
thousands  of  bottles  of  so-called  "Lafitte"  to. his  guests, 
he  never  had,  two  dozen  bottles  of  the  genuine  article 
in  his  possession  in  his  life ! 

Every  one  who  has  been  in  the  wine  district  knows 
that  the  wine  is  troddejn  from  the  grapes  by  the  bare 
feet  of  the  peasants,  and  while  I  was  there,  desiring  a 
new  experience,  I  myself  trod  out  a  half  barrel  or  so 
with  my  own  naked  feet,  dancing  vigorously  the  while 
to  the  sound  of  a  fiddle. 

In  spite  of  tl^e  extraordinary  attention  and  unbounded 
petting  the  little  ^General  received  at  the  hands  of 
all  classes,  he  was  in  no  sense  a  "  spoiled  child,"  but 
retained  throughout  that  natural  simplicity  of  character 


202  IN    FRANCE. 

and  demeanor  which  added  so  much  to  the  charm  of 
his  exhibitions.  He  was  literally  the  pet  of  Paris,  and 
after  a  protracted  and  most  profitable  season  we  started 
on  a  tour  through  France.  The  little  General's  small 
Shetland  ponies  arrd  miniature  carriage  would  be  sure 
to  arouse  the  enthusiasm  of  the  "  Provincials,"  so  I  de 
termined  to  take  them  along  with  us.  We  went  first  to 
Rouen,  and  from  thence  to  Toulon,  visiting  all  the  inter 
mediate  towns,  including  Orleans,  Nantes,  Brest,  Bor 
deaux, — where  I  witnessed  a  review  by  the  Dukes  de 
Nemours  and  d'Aumale,  of  20,000  soldiers  who  were 
encamped  near  the  city.  From  Bordeaux  we  went  to 
Toulouse,  Montpellier,  Nismes,  Marseilles,  and  many 
other  less  important  places,  holding  levees  for  a  longer 
or  shorter  time.  While  at  Nantes,  Bordeaux  and  Mar 
seilles  the  General  also  appeared  in  the  theatres  in  his 
French  part  of  "  Petit  Poucet." 

Very  soon  after  leaving  Paris  for  our  tour  through 
France,  I  found  that  there  were  many  places  where  it 
would  be  impossible  to  proceed  otherwise  than  by  post. 
General  Tom  Thumb's  party  numbered  twelve  persons, 
and  these,  with  all  their  luggage,  four  little  ponies,  and 
a  small  carriage,  must  be  transported  in  posting  vehicles 
of  some  description.  I  therefore  resolved  that  as  post 
ing  in  France  was  as  cheap,  and  more  independent  than 
any  other  method  of  travel,  a  purchase  of  posting 
vehicles  should  be  made  for  the  sole  use  of  the  renowned 
General  Tom  Thumb  and  suite.  One  vehicle,  however 
large,  would  have  been  insufficient  for  the  whole  com 
pany  and  "  effects,"  and,  moreover,  would  have  been 
against  the  regulations.  These  regulations  required 
that  each  person  should  pay  for  the  use  of  one  horse, 
whether  using  it  or  not,  and  I  therefore  made  the  fol- 


IN  FRANCE.  203 

lowing  arrangements  :  I  purchased  a  post-chaise  to  carry 
six  persons,  to  be  drawn  by  six  horses ;  a  vehicle  on 
springs,  with  seats  for  four  persons,  and  room  for  the 
General's  four  ponies  and  carriage,  to  be  drawn  by  four 
horses  ;  and  lastly,  a  third  vehicle  for  conveying  the 
baggage  of  the  company,  including  the  elegant  little 
house  and  furniture  set  on  the  stage  in  the  General's 
performances  of  "Petit  Poucet"  at  the  theatres,  the 
whole  drawn  by  two  horses. 

With  such  a  retinue  the  General  "cut  quite  a  swell" 
in  journeying  through  the  country,  travelling,  indeed, 
in  grander  style  than  a  Field  Marshal  would  have 
thought  of  doing  in  posting  through  France.  All  this 
folly  and  expense,  the  uninitiated  would  say,  of  employ 
ing  twelve  horses  and  twelve  persons,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  General's  four  ponies,  in  exhibiting  a  person  weigh 
ing  only  fifteen  pounds !  But  when  this  retinue  passed 
along  the  roads,  and  especially  when  it  came  into  a 
town,  people  naturally  and  eagerly  inquired  what  great 
personage  was  on  his  travels,  and  when  told  that  it 
was  "  the  celebrated  General  Tom  Thumb  and  suite," 
everybody  desired  to  go  and  see  him,  It  was  thus  the 
best  advertising  we  could  have  had,  and  was  really,  in 
many  places,  our  cheapest  and  in  some  places,  our  only 
mode  of  getting  from  point  to  point  where  our  exhibi 
tions  were  to  be  given. 

During  most  of  the  tour  I  was  a  week  or  two  ahead  of 
the  company,  making  arrangements  for  the  forthcoming 
exhibitions,  and  doing  my  entire  business  without  the 
aid  of  an  interpreter,  for  I  soon  "picked  up"  French 
enough  to  get  along  very  well  indeed.  I  did  not  forget 
that  Franklin  learned  to  speak  French  when  he  was  sev 
enty  years  of  age,  and  I  did  not  consider  myself  too  old 
10 


204  IN  FRANCE. 

to  learn,  what,  indeed,  I  was  obliged  to  learn  in  the 
interests  of  my  business.  As  for  the  little  General,  who 
was  accompanied  by  a  preceptor  and  translator,  he  very 
soon  began  to  give  his  entire  speaking  performances  in 
French,  and  his  piece  "Petit  Poucet"  was  spoken  as  if 
he  were  a  native. 

In  fact,  I  soon  became  the  General's  avant  courier, 
though  not  doing  the  duties  of  an  avant  courier  to  an 
ordinary  exhibition,  since  these  duties  generally  consist 
in  largely  puffing  the  "  coming  man"  and  expected  show, 
thus  endeavoring  to  create  a  public  appetite  and  to 
excite  curiosity.  My  duties  were  quite  different;  after 
engaging  the  largest  theatre  or  saloon  to  be  found  in  the 
town,  I  put  out  a  simple  placard,  announcing  that  the 
General  would  appear  on  such  a  day.  Thereafter,  my 
whole  energies  were  directed,  apparently,  to  keeping 
the  people  quiet ;  I  begged  them  not  to  get  excited ;  I 
assured  them  through  the  public  journals,  that  every 
opportunity  should  be  afforded  to  permit  every  person  to 
see  "  the  distinguished  little  General,  who  had  delighted 
the  principal  monarchs  of  Europe,  and  more  than  a  mil 
lion  of  their  subjects,"  and  that  if  one  exhibition  in  the 
largest  audience  room  in  the  town  would  not  suffice,  two 
or  even  three  would  be  given. 

This  was  done  quietly,  and  yet,  as  an  advertisement, 
effectively,  for,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  people  who 
\vere  told  to  keep  quiet,  would  get  terribly  excited,  and 
when  the  General  arrived  and  opened  his  exhibitions, 
excitement  would  be  at  fever  heat,  the  levees  would  be 
thronged,  and  the  treasury  filled ! 

Numerous  were  the  word  battles  1  had  with  mayors, 
managers  of  theatres,  directors  of  hospitals,  and  others, 
relative  to  what  I  considered — justly,  I  think  —  the  out- 


IN  FRANCE.  205 

rageous  imposition  which  the  laws  permitted  in  the  way 
of  taxes  upon  "  exhibitions."  Thus  the  laws  required, 
for  the  sake  of  charity,  twenty-five  per  cent  of  my  gross 
receipts  for  the  hospitals ;  while  to  encourage  a  local 
theatre,  or  theatres,  which  might  suffer  from  an  outside 
show,  twenty  per  cent  more  must  be  given  to  the  local 
managers. 

Of  course  this  law  was  nearly  a  dead  letter ;  for,  to 
have  taken  forty-five  per  cent  of  my  gross  receipts  at 
every  exhibition  would  soon  have  driven  me  from  the 
provinces,  so  the  hospitals  were  generally  content  with 
ten  per  cent,  and  five  or  ten  francs  a  day  satisfied  the 
manager  of  a  provincial  theatre.  But  at  Bordeaux  the 
manager  of  the  theatre  wished  to  engage  the  General 
to  appear  in  his  establishment,  and  as  I  declined  his 
offer,  he  threatened  to  debar  me  from  exhibiting  any 
where  in  town,  by  demanding  for  himself  the  full  twenty 
per  cent  the  law  allowed,  besides  inducing  the  directors 
of  the  hospitals  to  compel  me  to  pay  them  twenty-five 
per  cent  more. 

Here  was  a  dilemma !  I  must  yield  and  take  half  1 
thought  myself  entitled  to  and  permit  the  General  to  play 
for  the  manager,  or  submit  to  legal  extortion,  or  forego 
my  exhibitions.  I  offered  the  manager  six  per  cent  of 
my  receipts  and  he  laughed  at  me.  I  talked  with  the 
hospital  directors  and  they  told  me  that  as  the  manager 
favored  them,  they  felt  bound  to  stand  by  him.  I 
announced  in  the  public  journals  that  the  General  could 
not  appear  in  Bordeaux  on  account  of  the  cupidity  and 
extortionate  demands  of  the  theatre  manager  and  the 
hospital  directors.  The  people  talked  and  the  papers 
denounced ;  but  manager  and  directors  remained  as  firm 
as  rocks  in  their  positions.  Tom  Thumb  was  to  arrive 


206  IN  FEANCE. 

in  two  days  and  I  was  in  a  decided  scrape.  The  mayor 
interceded  for  me,  but  to  no  avail ;  the  manager  had 
determined  to  enforce  an  almost  obsolete  law  unless  I 
would  permit  the  General  to  play  in  his  theatre  every 
night.  My  Yankee  "  dander  "  was  up  and  I  declared 
that  I  would  exhibit  the  General  gratis  rather  than  sub 
mit  to  the  demand.  Whereupon,  the  manager  only 
laughed  at  me  the  more  to  think  how  snugly  he  had 
got  me. 

Now  it  happened  that,  once  upon  a  time,  Bordeaux, 
like  most  cities,  was  a  little  village,  and  the  little  village 
of  Vincennes  lay  one  mile  east  of  it.  Bordeaux  had 
grown  and  stretched  itself  and  thickly  settled  far 
beyond  Vincennes,  bringing  the  latter  nearly  in  the 
centre  of  Bordeaux ;  yet,  strange  to  say,  Vincennes 
maintained  its  own  identity,  and  had  its  own  Mayor  and 
municipal  rights  quite  independent  of  Bordeaux,  i 
could  scarcely  believe  my  informant  who  told  me  this, 
but  I  speedily  sought  out  the  Mayor  of  Vincennes, 
found  such  a  personage,  and  cautiously  inquired  if  there 
was  a  theatre  or  a  hospital  within  his  limits'?  He 
assured  me  there  was  not.  I  told  him  my  story,  and 
asked  : 

"  If  I  open  an  exhibition  within  your  limits  will  there 
be  any  percentages  to  pay  from  my  receipts  ? " 

"  Not  a  sou,"  replied  the  Mayor. 

"  Will  you  give  rue  a  writing  to  that  effect?" 

"  With  the  greatest  pleasure,"  replied  the  Mayor,  and 
he  did  so  at  once. 

I  put  this  precious  paper  in  my  pocket,  and  in  a  few 
moments  I  hired  the  largest  dancing  saloon  in  the  place, 
a  room  capable  of  holding  over  2,000  people.  I  then 
announced,  especially  to  the  delighted  citizens  of  Bor- 


IN  FRANCE.  207 

deaux,  that  the  General  would  open  his  exhibitions  in 
Vineennes,  which  he  soon  did  to  an  overflowing  house. 
For  thirteen  days  we  exhibited  to  houses  averaging 
more  than  3,000  francs  per  day,  and  for  ten  days  more 
at  largely  increased  receipts,  not  one  sou  of  which  went 
for  taxes  or  percentages.  The  manager  and  directors, 
theatre  and  hospital,  got  nothing,  instead  of  the  fail- 
allowance  I  would  willingly  have  given  them.  Oh, 
yes!  they  got  something,  —  that  is,  a  lesson,  —  not  to 
attempt  to  offset  French  Shylockism  against  Yankee 
shrewdness. 

We  were  in  the  South  of  France  in  the  vintage 
season.  Nothing  can  surpass  the  richness  of  the 
country  at  that  time  of  the  year.  We  travelled  for 
many  miles  where  the  eye  could  see  nothing  but 
vineyards  loaded  with  luscious  grapes  and  groves  of 
olive  trees  in  full  bearing.  It  is  literally  a  country  of 
wine  and  oil.  Our  remunerative  and  gratifying  round 
of  mingled  pleasure  and  profit,  brought  us  at  last  to 
Lille,  capital  of  the  department  of  Nord,  and  fifteen 
miles  from  the  Belgian  frontier,  and  from  thcu.ce  we  prc  - 
ceeded  to  Brussels. 


fvy  nl  iihwo'id 


*r  miff 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

IN  BELGIUM. 

CROSSING  THE  FRONTIER  — PROFESSOR  PINTE  —  QUALIFICATIONS  OF  A  GOOD 
SHOWMAN — "SOFT  SUP" — GENEROUS  DISTRIBUTION  OF  MEDALS  —  PRINCE 
CHARLES  STRATTON  —  AT  BRUSSELS  —  PRESENTATION  TO  KING  LEOPOLD 
AND  HIS  QUEEN  —  THE  GENERAL'S  JEWELS  STOLEN  —  THE  THIEF  CAUGHT  — 
RECOVERY  OF  THE  PROPERTY — THE  FIELD  OF  WATERLOO — MIRACU- 
LOUSLY  MULTIPLIED  RELICS  —  CAPTAIN  TIPPITIWITCHET  OF  THE  CONNECTICU1 
FUSILEERS  —  AN  ACCIDENT  —  GETTING  BACK  TO  BRUSSELS  IN  A  CART — 
STRATTON  SWINDLED  —  LOSING  AN  EXHIBITION  —  TWO  HOURS  IN  THE. 
RAIN  ON  THE  ROAD  —  THE  CUSTOM  OF  THE  COUNTRY  —  A  STRICT  CON' 

STRUCTIONIST  — STRATTON' s      HEAD     SHAVED  —  "  BRUMMAGEM  "    RELICS  — 

HOW     THEY     ARE    PLANTED     AT     WATERLOO  —  WHAT     LYONS     SAUSAGES    ARE 
MADE  OF  —  FROM  BRUSSELS  TO  LONDON. 

IN  crossing  the  border  from  France  into  Belgium, 
Professor  Pinte,  our  interpreter  and  General  Ton\ 
Thumb's  preceptor,  discovered  that  he  had  left  his 
passport  behind  him  —  at  Lille,  at  Marseilles,  or  else 
where  in  France,  he  could  not  tell  where,  for  it  was  a 
long  time  since  he  had  been  called  upon  to  present  it. 
I  was  much  annoyed  and  indignantly  told  him  that  he 
"  would  never  make  a  good  showman,  because  a  good 
showman  never  forgot  anything."  I  could  see  that  my 
allusion  to  him  as  a  "  showman "  was  by  no  means 
pleasant,  which  leads  me  to  recount  the  circumstances 
under  which  I  was  first  brought  in  contact  with  the 
Professor. 

He  was  really  a  "Professor"  and  teacher  of  English 
in  one  of  the  best  educational  establishments  in  Paris. 
Very  soon  after  opening  my  exhibitions  in  that  city,  I 
saw  the  necessity  of  having  a  translator  who  was  quali 
fied  to  act  as  a  medium  between  the  General  and  the 


IN  BELGIUM.  209 

highly  cultivated  audiences  that  daily  favored  us  at  our 
levees.  I  had  begun  with  a  not  over-cultivated  inter 
preter,  who,  when  the  General  personated  Cupid,  for 
instance,  would  cry  out  "  Coopeed,"  to  which  some  one 
would  be  sure  to  respond  "  Stoopeed,"  to  the  annoyance 
of  myself  and  the  amusement  of  the  audience.  1 
accordingly  determined  to  procure  the  best  interpreter 
I  could  find  and  I  was  directed  to  call  upon  Professor 
-Pinte.  I  saw  him  and  briefly  stated  what  I  wanted, 
in  what  capacity  I  proposed  to  employ  him,  and  what 
salary  I  would  pay  him.  He  was  highly  indignant  and 
informed  me  that  he  was  "  no  showman,"  and  had  no 
desire  to  learn  or  engage  in  the  business. 

"  But,  my  dear  sir,"  said  I,  "it  is  not  as  a  showman 
that  I  wish  to  employ  your  valuable  services,  but  as  a 
preceptor  to  my  young  and  interesting  ward,  General 
Tom  Thumb,  whom  I  desire  to  have  instructed  in  the 
French  language  and  in  other  accomplishments  you  are 
so  competent  to  impart.  At  the  same  time,  I  should 
expect  that  you  would  be  willing  to  accompany  my  ward 
and  your  pupil  and  attend  his  public  exhibitions  for  the 
purpose  of  translating,  as  may  be  necessary,  to  the  culti 
vated  people  of  your  own  class  who  are  the  principal 
patrons  of  our  entertainments." 

This  seemed  to  put  an  entirely  new  face  upon  the 
matter,  especially  as  I  had  offered  the  Professor  a  salary 
five  times  larger,  probably,  than  he  was  then  receiving. 
So  he  rapidly  revolved  the  subject  in  his  rriind  and  said  : 

"Ah!  while  I  could  not  possibly  accept  a  situation 
as  a  showman,  I  should  be  most  happy  to  accept  the 
terms  and  the  position  as  preceptor  to  your  ward." 

He  was  engaged,  and  at  once  entered  upon  his  duties, 
not  only  as  preceptor  to  the  General,  but  as  the  efficient 


210  IN  BELGIUM. 

and  always  excellent  interpreter  at  our  exhibitions,  and 
wherever  we  needed  his  services  on  the  route.  As  he 
had  lost  his  passport,  when  we  came  to  Courtrai  on  the 
Belgian  frontier,  I  managed  to  procure  a  permit  for  him 
which  enabled  him  to  proceed  with  the  party.  This  was 
but  the  beginning  of  difficulties,  for  I  had  all  our  prop 
erty,  including  the  General's  ponies  and  equipage,  to 
pass  through  the  Custom-house,  and  among  other  things 
there  was  a  large  box  of  medals,  with  a  likeness  of  the 
General  on  one  side  and  of  Queen  Victoria  and  Prince 
Albert  on  the  other  side,  which  were  sold  in  large 
numbers  as  souvenirs  at  our  exhibitions.  They  were 
struck  off  at  a  considerable  expense  in  England,  and 
commanded  a  ready  sale. 

The  Custom-house  officers  were  informed,  however, 
that  these  medals  were  mere  advertising  cards-,  as  they 
really  were,  of  our  exhibitions,  and  I  begged  their 
acceptance  of  as  many  as  they  pleased  to  put  in  their 
pockets.  They  were  beautiful  medals,  and  a  few  dozen 
were  speedily  distributed  among  the  delighted  officials, 
who  forthwith  passed  our  show-bills,  lithographs  and 
other  property  with  very  little  trouble.  They  wanted, 
however,  to  charge  a  duty  upon  the  General's  ponies 
and  carriage,  but  when  I  produped  a  document  showing 
that  the  French  government  had  admitted  them  duty- 
free,  they  did  the  same.  This  superb  establishment  led 
these  officials  to  think  he  must  be  a  very  distinguished 
man,  and  they  asked  what  rank  he  held  in  his  own 
country. 

"  He  is  Prince  Charles  Stratton,  of  the  Dukedom  of 
Bridgeport,  in  the  Kingdom  of  Connecticut,"  said  Sher 
man. 

Whereupon  they  all  reverently  raised  their  hats  when 


IN  BELGIUM.  211 

the  General  entered  the  car.  Some  of  the  railway  men 
who  had  seen  the  distribution  of  medals  among  the 
Custom-house  officers  came  to  me  and  begged  similar 
"  souvenirs "  of  their  distinguished  passenger,  and  I 
gave  the  medals  very  freely,  till  the  applications  became 
so  persistent  as  to  threaten  a  serious  pecuniary  loss. 
At  last  I  handed  out  a  final  dozen  in  one  package,  and 
said  :  "  There,  that  is  the  last  of  them ;  the  rest  are  in 
the  box,  and  beyond  my  reach." 

All  this  while  Professor  Pinte  was  brooding  over  my 
remark  to  him  about  the  loss  of  his  passport ;  the  word 
"showman"  rankled,  and  he  asked  me: 

"Mr.  Barnum,  do  you  consider  me  a  showman?" 

I  laughingly  replied,  "  Why,  I  consider  you  the  emi 
nent  Professor  Pinte,  preceptor  to  General  Tom  Thumb  ; 
but,  after  all,  we  are  all  showmen." 

Finding  himself  so  classed  with  the  rest  of  us,  he 
ventured  to  inquire  "  what  were  the  qualifications  of  a 
good  showman,"  to  which  I  replied : 

"  He  must  have  a  decided  taste  for  catering  for  the 
public;  prominent  perceptive  faculties ;  tact;  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  human  nature  ;  great  suavity ;  and  plenty 
of  '  soft  soap.' ' 

"  Soft  sup !  "  exclaimed  the  interested  Professor, Ci  what 
is  ;  soft  sup.' ' 

I  explained,  as  best  I  could,  how  the  literal  meaning  of 
the  words  had  come  to  convey  the  idea  of  getting  into  the 
good  graces  of  people  and  pleasing  those  with  whom 
we  are  brought  in  contact.  Pinte  laughed,  and  as  he 
thought  of  the  generous  medal  distribution,  an  idea 
struck  him: 

"  I  think  those  railway  officials  must  have  very  dirty 
hands  —  you  are  compelled  to  use  so  much  '  soft  sup.' " 
10* 


212  IN  BELGIUM. 

Brussels  is  Paris  in  miniature  and  is  one  of  the  most 
charming  cities  I  ever  visited.  We  found  elegant  quar 
ters,  and  the  day  after  our  arrival  by  command  we  vis 
ited  King  Leopold  and  the  Queen  at  their  palace.  The 
King  and  Queen  had  already  seen  the  General  in  Lon 
don,  but  they  wished  to  present  him  to  their  children  and 
to  the  distinguished  persons  whom  we  found  assembled. 
After  a  most  agreeable  hour  we  came  away  —  the  Gen 
eral,  as  usual,  receiving  many  fine  presents. 

The  following  day,  I  opened  the  exhibition  in  a  beau 
tiful  hall,  which  on  that  day  and  on  every  afternoon  and 
evening  while  we  remained  there,  was  crowded  by  throngs 
of  the  first  people  in  the  city.  On  the  second  or  third 
day,  in  the  midst  of  the  exhibition,  I  suddenly  missed 
the  case  containing  the  valuable  presents  the  General 
had  received  from  kings,  queens,  noblemen  and  gen 
tlemen,  and  instantly  gave  the  alarm ;  some  thief  had 
intruded  for  the  express  purpose  of  stealing  these  jew 
els,  and,  in  the  crowd,  had  been  entirely  successful  in 
his  object. 

The  police  were  notified,  and  I  offered  2,000  francs 
reward  for  the  recovery  of  the  property.  A  day  or  two 
afterwards  a  man  went  into  a  jeweller's  shop  and  offered 
for  sale,  among  other  things,  a  gold  snuff-box,  mounted 
with  turquoises,  and  presented  by  the  Duke  of  Devon 
shire  to  the  General.  The  jeweller,  seeing  the  Gen 
eral's  initials  on  the  box,  sharply  questioned  the  man, 
who  became  alarmed  and  ran  out  of  the  shop.  An 
alarm  was  raised,  and  the  man  was  caught.  Pie  made 
a  clean  breast  of  it,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours  the 
entire  property  was  returned,  to  the  great  delight  of  the 
General  and  myself.  Wherever  we  exhibited  after 
wards,  no  matter  how  respectable  the  audience,  the  case 
of  presents  was  always  carefully  watched. 


IN  BELGIUM,  213 

While  I  was  in  Brussels  I  could  do  no  less  than  visit 
the  battle-field  of  Waterloo,  and  I  proposed  that  our 
party  should  be  composed  of  Professor  Pinte,  Mr.  Strat- 
ton,  father  of  General  Tom  Thumb,  Mr.  H.  G.  Sherman, 
and  myself.  Going  sight-seeing  was  a  new  sensation  to 
Stratton,  and  as  it  was  necessary  to  start  by  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  in  order  to  accomplish  the  distance 
(sixteen  miles)  and  return  in  time  for  our  afternoon 
performance,  he  demurred. 

"  I  do  n't  want  to  get  up  before  daylight  and  go  off  on 
a  journey  for  the  sake  of  seeing  a  darned  old  field  of 
wheat,"  said  Stratton. 

"  Sherwood,  do  try  to  be  like  somebody,  once  in  your 
life,  and  go,"  said  his  wife. 

The  appeal  was  irresistible,  and  he  consented.  We 
engaged  a  coach  and  horses  the  night  previous,  and 
started  punctually  at  the  hour  appointed.  We  stopped  at 
the  neat  little  church  in  the  village  of  Waterloo,  for  the 
purpose  of  examining  the  tablets  erected  to  the  memory 
of  some  of  the  English  who  fell  in  the  contest.  Thence 
we  passed  to  the  house  in  which  the  leg  of  Lord  Uxbridge 
(Marquis  of  Anglesey)  was  amputated.  A  neat  little 
monument  in  the  garden  designates  the  spot  where  the 
shattered  member  had  been  interred.  In  the  house  is 
shown  a  part  of  the  boot  which  is  said  to  have  once 
covered  the  unlucky  leg.  The  visitor  feel's  it  but  con 
siderate  to  hand  a 'franc  or  two  to  the  female  who  exhib 
its  the  monument  and  limb.  I  did  so,  and  Stratton, 
though  he  felt  that  he  had  not  received  the  worth  of 
his  money,  still  did  not  like  to  be  considered  penurious, 
so  he  handed  over  a  piece  of  silver  coin  to  the  attend 
ant.  I  expressed  a  desire  to  have  a  small  piece  of  the 
boot  to  exhibit  in  my  Museum ;  the  lady  cut  off,  without 


214  IN  BELGIUM. 

hesitation,  a  slip  three  inches  long  by  one  in  width.  I 
handed  her  a  couple  more  francs,  and  Stratton  desiring, 
as  he  said,  to  "  show  a  piece  of  the  boot  in  old  Bridge 
port,"  received  a  similar  slip,  and  paid  a  similar  amount 
I  could  not  help  thinking  that  if  the  lady  was  thus  libe 
ral  in  dispensing  pieces  of  the  "identical  boot"  to  all 
visitors,  this  must  have  been  about  the  ninety-nine 
thousandth  boot  that  had  been  cut  as  the  "  Simon  pure  " 
since  1815. 

With  the  consoling  reflection  that  the  female  pur 
chased  all  the  cast-off  boots  in  "Brussels  and  its  vicinity, 
and  rejoicing  that  somebody  was  making  a  trifle  out  of 
that  accident  besides  the  inventor  of  the  celebrated 
"  Anglesey  leg,"  we  passed  on  towards  the  battle-field, 
lying  about  a  mile  distant. 

Arriving  at  Mont  Saint  Jean,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
the  ground,  we  were  beset  by  some  eighteen  or  twenty 
persons,  who  offered  their  services  as  guides,  to  indicate 
the  most  important  localities.  Each  applicant  professed 
to  know  the  exact  spot  where  every  man  had  been 
placed  who  had  taken  part  in  the  battle,  and  each,  of 
course,  claimed  to  have  been  engaged  in  that  sangui 
nary  contest,  although  it  had  occurred  thirty  years  before, 
and  some  of  these  fellows  were  only,  it  seemed,  from 
twenty-five  to  twenty-eight  years  of  age!  We  accepted 
an  old  man,  who,  at  first  declared  that  he  was  killed  in 
the  battle,  but  perceiving  our  looks  of  incredulity,  con 
sented  to  modify  his  statement  so  far  as  to  assert  that  he 
was  horribly  wounded,  and  lay  upon  the  ground  three 
days  before  receiving  assistance. 

Once  upon  the  ground,  our  guide,  with  much  gravity, 
pointed  out  the  place  where  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
took  his  station  during  a  great  part  of  the  action ;  the 


IN  BELGIUM.  215 

locality  inhere  the  reserve  of  the  British  army  was  sta 
tioned  ;  the  spot  where  Napoleon  placed  his  favorite 
guard ;  the  little  mound  on  which  was  erected  a  tempo 
rary  observatory  for  his  use  during  the  battle ;  the  por 
tion  of  the  field  at  which  Blucher  entered  with  the 
Prussian  army ;  the  precise  location  of  the  Scotch 
Greys;  the  spot  where  fell  Sir  Alexander  Gordon, 
Lieut.  Col.  Canning,  and  many  others  of  celebrity.  I 
asked  him  if  he  could  tell  me  where  Captain  Tippiti- 
wichet,  of  the  Connecticut  Fusileers,  was  killed.  "  Oui, 
Monsieur,"  he  replied,  with  perfect  confidence,  for  he 
felt  bound  to  know,  or  to  pretend  to  know,  every  par 
ticular.  He  then  proceeded  to  point  out  exactly  the 
spot  where  my  unfortunate  Connecticut  friend  had 
breathed  his  last.  A'fter  indicating  the  locations  where 
some  twenty  more  fictitious  friends  from  Coney  Island, 
New  Jersey,  Cape  Cod  and  Saratoga  Springs,  had  given 
up  the  ghost,  we  handed  him  his  commission  and  de 
clined  to  give  him  further  trouble.  Stratton  grumbled 
at  the  imposition  as  he  handed  out  a  couple  of  francs 
for  the  information  received. 

Upon  quitting  the  battle-field  we  were  accosted  by  a 
dozen  persons  of  both  sexes  with  baskets  on  their  arms 
or  bags  in  their  hands,  containing  relics  of  the  battle 
for  sale.  These  consisted  of  a  great  variety  of  imple 
ments  of  war,  pistols,  bullets,  etc.,  besides  brass  French 
eagles,  buttons,  etc.  I  purchased  a  number  of  them  for 
the  Museum,  and  Stratton  was  equally  liberal  in  obtain 
ing  a  supply  for  his  friends  in  "  Old  Bridgeport."  We 
also  purchased  maps  of  the  battle-ground,  pictures  of 
the  triumphal  mound  surmounted  by  the  colossal  Belgic 
Lion  in  bronze,  etc.,  etc.  These  frequent  and  renewed 
taxations  annoyed  Stratton  very  much,  and  as  he  handed 


216  IN  BELGIUM. 

out  a  five  franc  piece  for  a  "  complete  guide-book,"  he 
remarked,  that  "  he  guessed  the  battle  of  Waterloo  had 
cost  a  darned  sight  more  since  it  was  fought  than  it  did 
before  !  " 

But  his  misfortunes  did  not  terminate  here.  When 
we  had  proceeded  four  or  five  miles  upon  our  road  home, 
crash  went  the  carriage.  We  alighted,  and  found  that 
the  axle-tree  was  broken.  It  was  now  a  quarter  past 
one  o'clock.  The  little  General's  exhibition  was  adver 
tised  to  commence  in  Brussels  at  two  o'clock,  and  could 
not  take  place  without  us.  We  were  unable  to  walk 
the  distance  in  double  the  time  at  our  disposal,  and  as 
no  cairi'age  was  to  be  got  in  that  part  of  the  country,  I 
concluded  to  take  the  matter  easy,  and  forego  all  idea  of 
exhibiting  before  evening.  Strattbn,  however,  could  not 
bear  the  thought  of  losing  the  chance  of  taking  in  six 
or  eight  hundred  francs,  and  he  determined  to  take 
matters  in  hand,  in  order,-  if  possible,  to  get  our  party 
into  Brussels  in/  time/to  save  the  afternoon  exhibi 
tion.  He  hastjped  /o  a  farm-house,  accompanied  by 
the  interprets,  Professor  Pinte,  Sherman  and  myself 
leisurely  bringing  up  the  rear.  Stratton  asked  the  old 
farmer  if  he  had  a  carriage.  He  had  not.  "  Have 
you  no  vehicle  1  "  he  inquired. 

"  Yes,  I  have  that  vehicle,"  he  replied,  pointing  to  an 
old  cart  filled  with  manure,  and  standing  in  his  barn 
yard. 

"  Thunder  !  is  that  all  the  conveyance  you  have  got  ]  " 
asked  Stratton.  Being  assured  that  it  was,  Stratton 
concluded  that  it  was  better  to  ride  in  a  manure  cart 
than  not  get  to  Brussels  in  time. 

"  What  will  you  ask  to  drive  us  to  Brussels  in  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour  1 "  demanded  Stratton. 


IN  .BELGIUM.  217 

"It  is  impossible,"  replied  the  farmer ;  "I  should 
want  two  hours  for  my  horse  to  do  it  in." 

fi  But  ours  is  a  very  pressing  case,  and  if  we  are  not 
there  in  time  we  lose  more  than  five  hundred  francs,* 
said  Stratton. 

The  old  farmer  pricked  up  his  ears  at  this,  and  agreed 
to  get  us  to  Brussels  in  an  hour,  for  eighty  francs. 
Stratton  tried  to  beat  him  down,  but  it  was  of  no  use. 

"  Oh,  go  it,  Stratton,"  said  Sherman  ;  "  eighty  francs 
you  know  is  only  sixteen  dollars,  and  you  will  probably 
save  a  hundred  by  it,  for  I  expect  a  full  house  at  our 
afternoon  exhibition  to-day." 

"  But  I  have  already  spent  about  ten  dollars  for  non 
sense,"  said  Stratton,  "  and  we  shall  have  to  pay  for  the 
broken  carriage  besides." 

"  But  what  can  you  do  better?"  chimed  in  Professor 
Pinte. 

46  It  is  an  outrageous  extortion  to  charge  sixteen  dol 
lars  for  an  old  horse  and  cart  to  go  ten  miles.  Why,  in  old 
Bridgeport  I  could  get  it  done  for  three  dollars,"  replied 
Stratton,  in  a  tone  of  vexation. 

*c  It  is  the  custom  of  the  country,"  said  Professor  Pinte, 
"  and  we  must  submit  to  it." 

By  the  way,  this  was  a  favorite  expression  of  the 
Professor's.  Whenever  we  were  imposed  upon,  or  felt 
that  we  were  not  used  right,  Pinte  would  always 
endeavor  to  smooth  it  over  by  informing  us  it  was  "  the 
custom  of  the  country." 

"  Well,  it's  a  thundering  mean  custom,  any  how,"  said 
Stratton,  "  and  I  wont  stand  such  an  imposition." 

"  But  what  shall  we  do  ? "  earnestly  inquired  Mr. 
Pinte.  "  It  may  be  a  high  price,  but  it  is  better  to  pay 
that  than  to  lose  our  afternoon  performance  and  five  or 
six  huitdred  francs." 


213  IN  BELGIUM. 

This  appeal  to  the  pocket  touched  Stratton's  feelings ; 
so  submitting  to  the  extortion,  he  replied  to  our  inter 
preter,  "Well,  tell  the  old  robber  to  dump  his  dung-cart 
as  soon  as  possible,  or  we  shall  lose  half  an  hour  in 
starting." 

The  cart  was  ''dumped"  and  a  large,  lazy-looking 
Flemish  horse  was  attached  to  it  with  a  rope  harness. 
Some  boards  were  laid  across  the  cart  for  seats,  the 
party  tumbled  into  the  rustic  vehicle,  a  red-haired  boy, 
son  of  the  old  farmer,  mounted  the  horse,  and  Stratton 
gave  orders  to  "  get  along."  "  Wait  a  moment,"  said 
the  farmer,  "  you  have  not  paid  me  yet,"  "  I'll  pay 
your  boy  when  we  get  to  Brussels,  provided  he  gets 
there  within  the  hour,"  replied  Stratton. 

"  Oh,  he  is  sure  to  get  there  in  an  hour,''  said  the 
farmer,  "  but  I  can't  let  him  go  unless  you  pay  in 
advance."  The  minutes  were  flying  rapidly,  the  antici 
pated  loss  of  the  day  exhibition  of  General  Tom  Thumb 
flitted  before  his  eyes,  and  Stratton,  in  very  desperation, 
thrust  his  hand  into  his  pocket  and  drew  forth  sixteen 
five-franc  pieces,  which  he  dropped,  one  at  a  time,  into 
the  hand  of  the  farmer,  and  then  called  out  to  the  boy, 
"  There  now,  do  try  to  see  if  you  can  go  ahead." 

The  boy  did  go  ahead,  but  it  was  with  such  a  snail's 
pace  that  it  would  have  puzzled  a  man  of  tolerable  eye 
sight  to  have  determined  whether  the  horse  was  moving 
or  standing  still.  To  make  it  still  more  interesting,  it 
commenced  raining  furiously.  As  we  had  left  Brussels 
in  a  coach,  and  the  morning  had  promised  us  a  pleasant 
day,  we  had  omitted  our  umbrellas.  We  were  soon 
soaked  to  the  skin.  We  "  grinned  and  bore  it  "  awhile 
without  grumbling.  At  length  Stratton,  who  was  almost 
too  angry  to  speak,  desired  Mr.  Pinte  to  ask  the  red- 


IN  BELGIUM.  219 

haired  boy  if  he  expected  to  walk  his  horse  all  the  way 
to  Brussels. 

"  Certainly,"  replied  the  boy;  "he  is  too  big  and  fat 
to  do  any  thing  but  walk.  We  never  trot  him." 

Stratton  was  terrified  as  he  thought  of  the  loss  of  the 
day  exhibition ;  and  he  cursed  the  boy,  the  cart,  the 
rain,  the  luck,  and  even  the  battle  of  Waterloo  itself. 
But  it  was  all  of  no  use,  the  horse  would  not  run,  but 
the  rain  did  —  down  our  backs. 

At  two  o'clock,  the  time  appointed  for  our  exhibition, 
we  were  yet  some  seven  miles  from  Brussels.  The 
horse  walked  slowly  and  philosophically  through  the 
pitiless  storm,  the  steam  majestically  rising  from  the  old 
manure-cart,  to  the  no  small  disturbance  of  our  unfortu 
nate  olfactories.  "  It  will  take  two  hours  to  get  to 
Brussels  at  this  rate,"  growled  Stratton.  "  Oh,  no," 
replied  the  boy,  "  it  will  only  take  about  two  hours  from 
the  time  we  started." 

"  But  your  father  agreed  to  get  us  there  in  an  hour," 
answered  Stratton. 

"  I  know  it,"  responded  the  boy,  "  but  he  knew  it 
would  take  more  than  two." 

"  I'll  sue  him  for  damage,  by  thunder,"  said  Stratton. 

"  Oh,  there  would  be  no  use  in  that,"  chimed  in  Mr. 
Pinte, "  for  you  could  get  no  satisfaction  in  this  country." 

"  But  I  shall  lose  more  than  a  hundred  dollars  by 
being  two  hours  instead  of  one,"  said  Stratton. 

"  They  care  nothing  about  that ;  all  they  care  for  is 
your  eighty  francs,"  remarked  Pinte. 

"  But  they  have  lied  and  swindled  me,"  replied  Strat 
ton. 

"  Oh,  you  must  not  mind  that,  it  is  the  custom  of  the 
country." 


220  IN  BELGIUM. 

Stratton  gave  "the  country,"  and  its  "customs," 
another  cursing. 

All  things  will  finally  have  an  end,  and  our  party  did 
at  length  actually  arrive  in  Brussels,  cart  and  all,  in 
precisely  two  hours  and  a  half  from  the  time  we  left  the 
farmer's  house.  Of  course  we  were  too  late  to  exhibit 
the  little  General.  Hundreds  of  visitors  had  gone  away 
disappointed. 

With  feelings  of  utter  desperation,  Stratton  started 
for  a  barber's  shop.  He  had  a  fine,  black,  bushy  head 
of  hair,  of  which  he  was  a  little  proud,  and  every  morn 
ing  he  submitted  it  to  the  curling-tongs  of  the  barber. 
His  hair  had  not  been  cut  for  several  weeks,  and  after 
being  shaved,  he  desired  the  barber  to  trim  his  flowing 
locks  a  little.  The  barber  clipped  oif  the  ends  of  the 
hair,  and  asked  Stratton  if  that  was  sufficient.  "  No," 
he  replied,  "  I  want  it  trimmed  a  little  shorter  ;  cut  away, 
and  I  will  tell  you  when  to  stop." 

Stratton  had  risen  from  bed  at  an  unusual  hour,  and 
after  having  passed  through  the  troubles  and  excitements 
of  the  unlucky  morning,  he  began  to  feel  a  little  drowsy. 
This  feeling  was  augmented  by  the  soothing  sensations 
of  the  tonsorial  process,  and  while  the  barber  quietly 
pursued  his  avocation,  Stratton  as  quietly  fell  asleep. 
The  barber  went  entirely  over  his  head,  cutting  off  a 
couple  of  inches  of  hair  with  every  clip  of  his  scissors. 
He  then  rested  for  a  moment,  expecting  his  customer 
would  tell  him  that  it  was  sufficient ;  but  the  unconscious 
Stratton  uttered  not  a  word,  and  the  barber,  thinking  he 
had  not  cut  the  hair  close  enough,  went  over  the  head 
again.  Again  did  he  wait  for  an  answer,  little  thinking 
that  his  patron  was  asleep.  Remembering  that  Strat 
ton  had  told  him  to  "  cut  away,  and  he  would  tell  him 


IN  BELGIUM,  221 

when  to  stop,"  the  innocent  barber  went  over  the  head 
the  third  time,  cutting  the  hair  nearly  as  close  as  if  he 
had  shaved  it  with  a  razor !  Having  finished,  he  again 
waited  for  orders  from  his  customer,  but  he  uttered  not 
a  word.  The  barber  was  surprised,  and  that  surprise 
was  increased  when  he  heard  a  noise  which  seemed  very 
like  a  snore  coming  from  the  nasal  organ  of  his  uncon 
scious  victim. 

The  poor  barber  saw  the  error  that  he  had  committed, 
and  in  dismay,  as  if  by  mistake,  he  hit  Stratton  on  the 
side  of  the  head  with  his  scissors,  and  woke  him.  He 
started  to  his  feet,  looked  in  the  glass,  and  to  his  utter 
horror  saw  that  he  was  unfit  to  appear  in  public  with 
out  a  wig!  He  swore  like  a  trooper,  but  he  could  not 
swear  the  hair  back  on  to  his  head,  and  putting  on  his 
hat,  which  dropped  loosely  over  his  eyes,  he  started  for 
the  hotel.  His  despair  and  indignation  were  so  great 
that  it  was  some  time  before  he  could  give  utterance  to 
words  of  explanation.  His  feelings  were  not  allayed 
by  the  deafening  burst  of  laughter  which  ensued.  He 
said  it  was  the  first  time  that  he  ever  went  a  sight-see 
ing,  and  he  guessed  it  would  be  the  last ! 

Several  months  subsequent  to  our  visit  to  Waterloo,  I 
was  in  Birmingham,  and  there  made  the  acquaintance 
of  a  firm  who  manufactured  to  order,  and  sent  to  Water 
loo,  barrels  of  "relics"  every  year.  At  Waterloo  these 
"  relics  "  are  planted,  and  in  due  time  dug  up,  and  sold 
at  large  prices  as  precious  remembrances  of  the  great 
battle.  Our  Waterloo  purchases  looked  rather  cheap 
after  this  discovery. 

While  we  were  in  Brussels,  Mrs.  Stratton.  the  mother 
of  the  General,  tasted  some  sausages  which  she  declared 
the  best  things  she  had  eaten  in  France  or  Belgium  ;  in 


222  IN  BELGIUM. 

fact,  she  said  "  she  had  found  little  that  was  fit  to  eat 
in  this  country,  for  every  thing  was  so  Frenchified  and 
covered  in  gravy,  she  dared  not  eat  it ;  but  there  was 
something  that  tasted  natural  about  these  sausages  ;  she 
had  never  eaten  any  as  good,  even  in  America."  She 
sent  to  the  landlady  to  inquire  the  name  of  them,  for 
she  meant  to  buy  some  to  take  along  with  her.  The 
answer  came  that  they  were  called  "  saucisse  de  Lyon,  " 
(Lyons  sausages,)  and  straightway  Mrs.  Stratton  went 
out  and  purchased  half  a  dozen  pounds.  Mr.  Sherman 
soon  came  in,  and,  on  learning  what  she  had  in  her 
package,  he  remarked :  "  Mrs.  Stratton,  do  you  know 
what  Lyons  sausages  are  made  of  ? " 

"  No,"  she  replied  ;  "  but  I  know  that  they  are  first- 
rate  ! " 

"  Well,"  replied  Sherman,  "  they  may  be  good,  but 
they  are  made  from  donkeys  !  "  which  is  said  to  be  the 
fact.  Mrs.  Stratton  said  she  was  not  to  be  fooled  so 
easily  —  that  she  knew  better,  and  that  she  should  stick 
to  the  sausages. 

Presently  Professor  Finte  entered  the  room.  "  Mr. 
Pinte,"  said  Sherman,  "  you  are  a  Frenchman,  and 
know  every  thing  about  edibles ;  pray  tell  me  what 
Lyons  sausages  are  made  of." 

"  Of  asses,"  replied  the  inoffensive  professor. 

Mrs.  Stratton  seized  the  package,  the  street  window 
was  open,  and,  in  less  than  a  minute,  a  large  brindle 
dog  was  bearing  the  "  Lyons  sausages "'  triumphantly 
away. 

There  were  many  other  amusing  incidents  during  our 
brief  stay  at  Brussels,  but  I  have  no  space  to  record 
them.  After  a  very  pleasant  and  successful  week,  we 
returned  to  London. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN. 

LEVEES  IN  EGYPTIAN  HALL  —  UNDIMINISHED  SUCCESS  —  OTHER  ENGAGEMENTS 
— " UP  IN  A  BALLOON"— PROVINCIAL  TOUR— TRAVELLING  BY  POST  — GOING 
TO  AMERICA  — A.  T.  STEWART  — SAMUEL  ROGERS  — AN  EXTRA  TRAIN— AN 
ASTONISHED  RAILWAY  SUPERINTENDENT  —  LEFT  BEHIND  AND  LOCKED  UP—' 
SUNDAYS  IN  LONDON— BUSINESS  AND  PLEASURE  —  ALBERT  SMITH  —  A  DAY 
WITH  HIM  AT  WARWICK  —  STRATFORD  ON  AVON  —  A  POETICAL  BARBER  — 
WARWICK  CASTLE — OLD  GUY'S  TRAPS  —  OFFER  TO  BUY  THE  LOT  —  THREAT 
TO  BURST  THE  SHOW  —  ALBERT  SMITH  AS  A  SHOWMAN  —  LEARNING  THE  BUSI 
NESS  FROM  BARNUM  — THE  WARWICK  RACES  — RIVAL  DWARFS  —  MANUFAC 
TURED  GIANTESSES — THE  HAPPY  FAMILY  —  THE  ROAD  FROM  WARWICK  TO 
COVENTRY  —  PEEPING  TOM  —  THE  YANKEE  GO-AHEAD  PRINCIPLE  —  ALBERT 
SMITH'S  ACCOUNT  OF  A  DAY  WITH  BARNUM. 

IN  London  the  General  again  opened  his  levees  in 
Egyptian  Hall  with  undiminished  success.  His  un* 
bounded  popularity  on  the  Continent  and  his  receptions 
by  King  Louis  Philippe,  of  France,  and  King  Leopold, 
of  Belgium,  had  added  greatly  to  his  prestige  and  fame. 
Those  who  had  seen  him  when  he  was  in  London 
months  before  came  to  see  him  again,  and  new  visitors 
crowded  by  thousands  to  the  General's  levees. 

Besides  giving  these  daily  entertainments,  the  General 
appeared  occasionally  for  an  hour,  during  the  intermis 
sions,  at  some  place  in  the  suburbs ;  and  for  a  long  time 
he  appeared  every  day  at  the  Surrey  Zoological  Gardens, 
under  the  direction  of  the  proprietor,  my  particular 
friend  Mr.  W.  Tyler.  This  place  subsequently  became 
celebrated  for  its  great  music  hall,  in  which  Spurgeon, 
the  sensational  preacher,  first  attained  his  notoriety. 
The  place  was  always  crowded,  and  when  the  General 


224  IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN. 

had  gone  through  with  his  performances  on  the  little 
stage,  in  order  that  all  might  see  him  he  was  put  into  a 
"balloon  which,  secured  by  ropes,  was  then  passed  around 
the  ground  just  above  the  people's  heads.  Some  forty 
men  managed  the  ropes  and  prevented  the  balloon  from 
rising  ;  but,  one  day,  a  sudden  gust  of  wind  took  the  bal 
loon  fairly  out  of  the  hands  of  half  the  men  who  had 
hold  of  the  ropes,  while  others  were  lifted  from  the 
ground,  and  had  not  an  alarm  been  instantly  given  which 
called  at  least  two  hundred  to  the  rescue  the  little  Gen 
eral  would  have  been  lost. 

In  addition  to  other  engagements,  the  General  fre 
quently  performed  in  Douglass's  Standard  Theatre,  in  the 
city,  in  the  play  "  Hop  o'  my  Thumb,"  which  was  written 
for  him  by  my  friend,  Albert  Smith,  whom  I  met  soon 
after  my  first  arrival  in  London  and  with  whom  I  became 
very  intimate.  After  my  arrival  in  Paris,  seeing  the 
decided  success  of  "Petit  Poucet,"  it  occurred  to  me  that 
I  should  want  such  a  play  when  I  returned  to  England 
and  the  United  States.  So  I  wrote  to  Mr.  Albert  Smith, 
inviting  him  to  make  me  a  visit  in  Paris,  intending  to  have 
him  see  this  play  and  either  translate  or  adapt  it,  or 
write  a  new  one  in  English.  He  came  and  stayed  with 
me  a  week,  visiting  the  Vaudeville  Theatre  to  see  t;  Petit 
Poucet"  nearly  every  night,  and  we  compared  notes  and 
settled  upon  a  plan  for  "  Hop  o'  my  Thumb."  He  went 
back  to  London  and  wrote  the  play  and  it  was  very  pop 
ular  indeed. 

During  our  stay  of  three  months,  at  this  time,  in 
Egyptian  Hall,  we  made  occasional  excursions  and  gave 
exhibitions  at  Brighton,  Bath,  Cheltenham,  Leamington 
and  other  watering  places  and  fashionable  resorts. 
It  wap  at  the  height  of  the  season  in  these  places. 


IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN.  225 

and   our   houses  were  very  large   and   our   profits   in 
proportion. 

In  October,  1844,  I  made  my  first  return  visit  to  the 
United  States,  leaving  General  Tom  Thumb  in  England, 
in  the  hands  of  an  accomplished  and  faithful  agent,  who 
continued  the  exhibitions  during  my  absence.  One  of 
the  principal  reasons  for  my  return  at  this  time,  was  my 
anxiety  to  renew  the  Museum  building  lease,  although 
my  first  lease  of  five  years  had  still  three  years  longer  to 
run.  I  told  Mr.  Olmsted  that  if  he  would  not  renew  my 
lease  on  the  same  terms,  for  at  least  five  years  more,  I 
would  immediately  put  up  a  new  building,  remove  my 
Museum,  close  his  building  during  the  last  year  of  my 
lease,  and  cover  it  from  top  to  bottom  with  placards, 
stating  where  my  new  Museum  was  to  be  found.  Pend 
ing  an  arrangement,  I  went  to  Mr.  A.  T.  Stewart,  who 
had  just  purchased  the  Washington  Hall  property,  at 
the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Chambers  Street,  intending 
to  erect  a  store  on  the  site,  and  proposed  to  join  him  in 
building,  he  to  take  the  lower  floor  of  the  new  store  for 
his  business,  and  I  to  own  and  occupy  the  upper  stories 
for  my  Museum.  He  said  he  would  give  me  an  answer  in 
the  course  of  a  week.  Meanwhile,  Mr.  Olmsted  gave 
me  the  additional  five  years  lease  I  asked,  and  I  so  noti 
fied  Mr.  Stewart.  Seeing  the  kind  of  building  that  Mr. 
Stewart  erected  on  his  lots,  I  do  not  know  if  he  seriously 
entertained  my  proposition  to  join  him  in  the  enterprise  ; 
but  he  was  by  no  means  the  great  merchant  then  he  after 
wards  became,  and  neither  of  us  then  thought,  probably, 
of  the  gigantic  enterprises  we  were  subsequently  to 
undertake,  and  the  great  things  we  were  to  accomplish. 
Having  completed  my  business  arrangements  in  New 
York,  I  returned  to  England  with  my  wife  and  daugh 

11 


226  IN  ENGLAND   AGAIN. 

ters,  and  hired  a  house  in  London.  My  house  was  the 
scene  of  constant  hospitality  which  I  extended  to  my 
numerous  friends  in  return  for  the  many  attentions 
shown  to  me.  It  seemed  then  as  if  I  had  more  and 
stronger  friends  in  London  than  in  New  York.  I  had 
met  and  had  been  introduced  to  "  almost  everybody  who 
was  anybody,"  and  among  them  all,  some  of  the  best 
soon  became  to  me  much  more  than  mere  acquaintances. 

Among  the  distinguished  people  whom  I  met,  I  was 
introduced  to  the  poet-banker,  Samuel  Rogers.  I  saw 
him  at  a  dinner  party  at  the  residence  of  the  American 
Minister,  the  Honorable  Edward  Everett.  The  old 
banker  was  very  feeble,  but  careful  nursing  and  all  the 
appliances  that  unbounded  wealth  could  bring,  still 
kept  the  life  in  him  and  he  managed,  not  only  to  con 
tinue  to  give  his  own  celebrated  breakfasts,  but  to  go 
out  frequently  to  enjoy  the  hospitality  of  others.  As 
we  were  going  in  to  dinner,  I  stepped  aside,  so  that  Mr. 
Eogers  who  was  tottering  along  leaning  on  the  arm  of 
a  friend,  could  go  in  before  me,  when  Mr.  Rogers  said : 

"  Pass  in,  Mr.  Barnum,  pass  in ;  I  always  consider  it 
an  honor  to  follow  an  American." 

When  our  three  months'  engagement  at  Egyptian 
Hall  had  expired,  I  arranged  for  a  protracted  provin 
cial  tour  through  Great  Britain.  I  had  made  a  flying 
visit  to  Scotland  before  we  went  to  Paris  —  mainly  to 
procure  the  beautiful  Scotch  costumes,  daggers,  etc., 
which  were  carefully  made  for  the  General  at  Edinburgh, 
and  to  teach  the  General  the  Scotch  dances,  with  a  bit 
of  the  Scotch  dialect,  which  added  so  much  to  the  inter 
est  of  his  exhibitions  in  Paris  and  elsewhere.  My 
second  visit  to  Scotland,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  exhi 
bitions,  extended  as  far  as  Aberdeen. 


IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN.  227 

In  England  we  went  to  Manchester,  Birmingham,  and 
to  almost  every  city,  town,  and  even  village  of  import 
ance.  We  travelled  by  post  much  of  the  time  —  that 
is,  I  had  a  suitable  carnage  made  for  my  party,  and  a 
van  which  conveyed  the  General's  carriage,  ponies,  and 
such  other  "property"  as  was  needed  for  our  levees, — 
and  we  never  had  the  slightest  difficulty  in  finding  good 
post  horses  at  every  station  where  we  wanted  them. 
This  mode  of  travelling  was  not  only  very  comfortable 
and  independent,  but  it  enabled  us  to  visit  many  out  of 
the  way  places,  off  from  the  great  lines  of  travel,  and  in 
such  places  we  gave  some  of  our  most  successful  exhi 
bitions.  We  also  used  the  railway  lines  freely,  leaving 
our  carriages  at  any  station,  and  taking  them  up  again 
when  we  returned. 

I  remember  once  making  an  extraordinary  effort  to 
reach  a  branch-line  station,  where  I  meant  to  leave  my 
teams  and  take  the  rail  for  Rugby.  I  had  a  time-table, 
and  knew  at  what  hour  exactly  I  could  hit  the  train ; 
but  unfortunately  the  axle  to  my  carriage  broke,  and  as 
an  hour  was  lost  in  repairing  it,  I  lost  exactly  an  hour 
in  reaching  the  station.  The  train  had  long  been  gone, 
and  I  must  be  in  Rugby,  where  we  had  advertised  a 
performance.  I  stormed  around  till  I  found  the  super 
intendent,  and  told  him  "I  must  instantly  have  an  extra 
train  to  Rugby." 

"  Extra  train !"  said  he,  with  surprise  and  a  half 
sneer,  "  extra  train  ! "  why  you  can't  have  an  extra  train 
to  Rugby  for  less  than  sixty  pounds." 

"  Is  that  all?  "  I  asked  ;  "  well,  get  up  your  train  imme 
diately  and  here  are  your  sixty  pounds.  What  in  the 
world  are  sixty  pounds  to  me,  when  I  wish  to  go  to 
Rugby,  or  elsewhere,  in  a  hurry ! " 


IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN. 

The  astonished  superintendent  took  the  money,  bustled 
about,  and  the  train  was  soon  ready.  He  was  greatly 
puzzled  to  know  what  distinguished  person  —  he  thought 
he  must  be  dealing  with  some  prince,  or,  at  least,  a 
duke  —  was  willing  to  give  so  much  money  to  save  a 
few  hours  of  time,  and  he  hesitatingly  asked  whom  he 
had  the  honor  of  serving. 

"  General  Tom  Thumb." 

We  reached  Rugby  in  time  to  ^^  our  performance, 
as  announced,  and  our  receipts  Were  £160,  which  quite 
covered  the  expense  of  our  extra  train  and  left  a  hand 
some  margin  for  profit. 

When  we  were  in  Oxford,  a  dozen  or  more  of  the 
students  came  to  the  conclusion  that  as  the  General  was  a 
little  fellow,  the  admission  fee  to  his  entertainments 
should  be  paid  in  the  smallest  kind  of  money.  They 
accordingly  provided  themselves  with  farthings,  and  as 
each  man  entered,  instead  of  handing  in  a  shilling  for 
his  ticket,  he  laid  down  forty-eight  farthings.  The 
counting  of  these  small  coins  was  a  great  annoyance  to 
Mr.  Stratton,  the  General's  father,  who  was  ticket 
seller,  and  after  counting  two  or  three  handsful,  vexed  at 
the  delav  which  was  preventing  a  crowd  of  ladies  and 
gentlemen  from  buying  tickets,  Mr.  Stratton  lost  his 
Leniper  and  cried  out : 

-''•  Plast  your  quarter  pennies !  I  am  not  going  to 
^<  lilt  v,hem!  you  chaps  who  haven't  bigger  money  can 
-vmiek  your  copper  into  my  hat  and  walk  in." 

it  Cambridge,  some  of  the  under-graduates  pretended 
«;o  take  offence  because  our  check-taker  would  not 
pe/mit  them  to  smoke  in  the  exhibition  hall,  and  one  of 
them  managed  to  involve  him  in  a  quarrel  which  ended  with 
a  challenge  from  the  student  to  the  check-taker,  who  was 


IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN.  229 

sure  he  must  fight  a  duel  at  sunrise  the  next  morning, 
and  as  he  expected  to-be  shot,  he  suffered  the  greatest 
mental  agony.  About  midnight,  however,  after  he  had 
been  sufficiently  scared,  I  brought  him  the  gratifying 
intelligence  that  I  had  succeeded  in  settling  the  dispute. 
His  gratitude  at  the  relief  thus  afforded,  knew  no  bounds. 
Mr.  Stratton  was  a  genuine  Yankee,  and  thoroughly 
conversant  with  the  Yankee  vernacular,  which  he  used 
freely.  In  exhibit:^g  the  General,  I  often  said  to 
visitors,  that  Tom  Thumb's  parents  and  the  rest  of  the 
family  were  persons  of  the  ordinary  size,  and  that  the 
gentleman  who  presided  in  the  ticket-office  was  the  Gen 
eral's  father.  This  made  poor  Stratton  an  object  of  no 
little  curiosity,  and  he  was  pestered  with  all  sorts  of 
questions  ;  on  one  occasion  an  old  dowager  said  to  him : 
"  Are  you  really  the  father  of  General  Tom  Thumb  I " 
"  Wa'al,"  replied  Stratton,  "  I  have  to  support  him !  " 
This  evasive  method  of  answering  is  common  enough 
in  New  England,  but  the  literal  dowager  had  her  doubts, 
and  promptly  rejoined : 

"  I  rather  think  he  supports  you !  " 
In  my  journeyings  through  England,  I  always  tried 
to  get  back  to  London  Saturday  night,  so  as  to  pass 
Sunday  with  my  family,  and  to  meet  the  friends  whom 
•ve  invited  to  dine  with  us  on  the  only  day  in  the  week 
viien  I  could  be  at  home.  The  railway  facilities  are  so 
Excellent  in  England,  that,  no  matter  how  far  I  might 
be  from  London,  I  could  generally  reach  that  city  by 
Sunday  morning,  and  yet  do  a  full  week's  work  in  the 
provinces.  This,  however,  necessitated  travel  Saturday 
night,  and  while  I  travelled  I  must  sleep.  Sleeping  cars 
were,  and,  I  believe,  still  are  unknown  in  that  country ; 
but  I  travelled  so  much,  and  was,  by  this  time,  so  well 


230  IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN. 

known  to  the  guards  on  the  leading  lines,  that  I  could 
generally  secure  one  of  the  compartments  in  a  first-class 
"  coach"  to  myself,  and  my  method  for  obtaining  a  good 
night's  sleep,  was  to  lay  the  seat-cushions  on  the  floor 
of  the  car,  thus,  with  my  blanket  to  cover  me,  making  a 
tolerable  bed. 

On  one  of  these  Saturday  night  excursions,  I  lay  down 
011  my  extemporized  couch,  with  the  expectation  of 
arriving  at  London  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
When  I  awoke  the  car  was  standing  still,  and  the  sun 
was  well  up  in  the  heavens.  Thinking  we  were  very 
much  behind  time,  and  wondering  why  the  train  did  not 
go  on,  at  last  I  got  up  and  looked  out  of  the  window, 
and,  to  my  utter  amazement,  I  found  my  car  locked  up 
in  a  yard,  surrounded  by  a  high  fence.  Espying  a  man 
who  seemed  to  have  charge  of  the  premises,  I  shouted 
to  him  to  come  and  let  me  out  of  the  car,  which  was 
also  locked.  It  instantly  flashed  across  my  mind  that  at 
this  station,  the  guard,  seeing  no  person  sitting  on  the 
seats  in  the  car,  and  concluding  that  it  was  empty,  had 
detached  it  from  the  train,  and  switched  it  o'ff  into  the 
yard.  The  astonished  man  whom  I  summoned  to  my 
assistance,  informed  me  that  I  was  sixty  miles  from 
London,  and  that  there  would  not  be  another  train  to 
the  city  till  evening.  It  was  ten  o'clock,  and  I  was  to 
have  been  home  at  five.  I  raised  a  great  row7,  and  de 
manded  as  my  right  an  extra  train  to  carry  me  to  Lon 
don,  to  meet  the  friends  whom  it  was  all-important  I 
should  see  that  day.  I  had  to  wait,  however,  till  evening, 
and  I  arrived  home  at  seven  or  eight  o'clock,  long  after 
my  friends  had  gone,  though  to  the  great  gratification 
of  my  family,  who  thought  some  serious  accident  must 
have  happened  to  me. 


IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN.  231 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  during  my  protracted 
stay  abroad  I  confined  myself  wholly  to  business  or 
limited  my  circle  of  observation  with  a  golden  rim.  To 
be  sure,  I  ever  had  "  an  eye  to  business,"  but  I  had  also 
two  eyes  for  observation  and  these  were  busily  employed 
in  leisure  hours.  I  made  the  most  of  my  opportunities 
and  saw,  hurriedly,  it  is  true,  nearly  everything  worth 
seeing  in  the  various  places  which  I  visited.  All  Europe 
was  a  great  curiosity  shop  to  me  and  I  willingly  paid 
my  money  for  the  show. 

While  in  London,  my  friend  Albert  Smith,  a  jolly 
companion,  as  well  as  a  witty  and  sensible  author,  prom 
ised  that  when  I  reached  Birmingham  he  would  come 
and  spend  a  day  with  me  in  "  sight-seeing,"  including  a 
visit  to  the  house  in  which  Shakespeare  was  born.  > 

Early  one  morning  in  the  autumn  of  1844,  my  friend 
Smith  and  myself  took  the  box-seat  of  an  English  mail- 
coach,  and  were  soon  whirling  at  the  rate  of  twelve 
miles  an  hour  over  the  magnificent  road  leading  from 
Birmingham  to  Stratford.  The  distance  is  thirty  miles. 
At  a  little  village  four  miles  from  Stratford,  we  found 
that  the  fame  of  the  bard  of  Avon  had  travelled  thus 
far,  for  we  noticed  a  sign  over  a  miserable  barber's 
shop,  "  Shakespeare  hair-dressing  —  a  good  shave  for  a 
penny."  In  twenty  minutes  more  we  were  set  down  at 
the  door  of  the  Red  Horse  Hotel,  in  Stratford.  The 
coachman  and  guard  were  each  paid  half  a  crown  as 
their  perquisites. 

While  breakfast  was  preparing,  we  called  for  a  guide 
book  to  the  town,  and  the  waiter  brought  in  a  book, 
saying  that  we  should  find  in  it  the  best  description 
extant  of  the  birth  and  burial  place  of  Shakespeare.  I 
was  not  a  little  proud  to  find  this  volume  to  be  no  other 


232  IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN. 

than  the  "  Sketch-Book  "  of  our  illustrious  countryman, 
Washington  Irving ;  and  in  glancing  over  his  humor 
ous  description  of  the  place,  I  discovered  that  he  had 
stopped  at  the  same  hotel  where  we  were  then  await 
ing  breakfast. 

After  examining  the  Shakespeare  House,  as  well  as 
the  tomb  and  the  church  in  which  all  that  is  mortal 
of  the  great  poet  rests,  we  ordered  a  post-chaise  for 
Warwick  Castle.  While  the  horses  were  harnessing, 
a  stage-coach  stopped  at  the  hotel,  and  two  gentlemen 
alighted.  One  was  a  sedate,  sensible-looking  man  ;  the 
other  an  addle-headed  fop.  The  former  was  mild  and 
unassuming  in  his  manners ;  the  latter  was  all  talk, 
without  sense  or  meaning  —  in  fact,  a  regular  Charles 
Chatterbox.  He  evidently  had  a  high  opinion  of  him 
self,  and  was  determined  that  all  within  hearing  should 
understand  that  he  was — somebody.  Presently  the 
sedate  gentleman  said : 

"  Edward,  this  is  Stratford.  Let  us  go  and  see  the 
house  where  Shakespeare  was  born." 

"  Who  the  devil  is  Shakespeare  ? "  asked  the  sensible 
young  gentleman. 

Our  post-chaise  was  at  the  door ;  we  leaped  into  it, 
and  were  off,  leaving  the  "  nice  young  man  "  to  enjoy  a 
visit  to  the  birth-place  of  an  individual  of  whom  he  had 
never  before  heard.  The  distance  to  Warwick  is  four 
teen  miles.  We  went  to  the  Castle,  and  approaching 
the  door  of  the  Great  Hall,  were  informed  by  a  well- 
dressed  porter  that  the  Earl  of  Warwick  and  family 
were  absent,  and  that  he  was  permitted  to  show  the 
apartments  to  visitors.  He  introduced  us  successively 
into  the  "  Red  Drawing-Room,"  "  The  Cedar  Drawing- 
Room,"  "The  Gilt  Room,"  "The  State  Bed-Room," 


IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN.  233 

"Lady  Warwick's  Boudoir,"  "The  Compass  Room," 
"The  Chapel,"  and  "The  Great  Dining-Room."  As 
we  passed  out  of  the  Castle,  the  polite  porter  touched 
bis  head  (he  of  course  had  no  hat  on  it)  in  a  style  which 
spoke  plainer  than  words,  "  Half  a  crown  each,  if  you 
please,  gentlemen."  We  responded  to  the  call,  and 
were  then  placed  in  charge  of  another  guide,  who  took 
us  to  the  top  of  "  Guy's  Tower,"  at  the  bottom  of  which 
he  touched  his  hat  a  shilling's  worth ;  and  placing  our 
selves  in  charge  of  a  third  conductor,  an  old  man  of 
seventy,  we  proceeded  to  the  Greenhouse  to  see  the 
Warwick  Vase  —  each  guide  announcing  at  the  end  of 
his  short  tour :  "  Gentlemen,  I  go  no  farther,"  and 
indicating  that  the  bill  for  his  services  was  to  be  paid. 
The  old  gentleman  mounted  a  rostrum  at  the  side  of  the 
vase,  and  commenced  a  set  speech,  which  we  began  to 
fear  was  interminable ;  so  tossing  him  the  usual  fee,  we 
left  him  in  the  middle  of  his  oration. 

Passing  through  the  porter's  lodge  on  our  way  out, 
under  the  impression  that  we  had  seen  all  that  was  inter 
esting,  the  old  porter  informed  us  that  the  most  curious 
things  connected  with  the  Castle  were  to  be  seen  in  his 
lodge.  Feeling  for  our  coin,  we  bade  him  produce  his 
relics,  and  he  showed  us  a  lot  of  trumpery,  which,  he 
gravely  informed  us,  belonged  to  that  hero  of  antiquity, 
Guy,  Earl  of  Warwick.  Among  these  were  his  sword, 
shield,  helmet,  breast-plate,  walking-staff,  and  tilting- 
pole,  each  of  enormous  size  —  the  horse  armor  nearly 
large  enough  for  an  elephant,  a  large  pot  which  would 
hold  seventy  gallons,  called  "  Guy's  Porridge  Pot,"  his 
flesh-fork,  the  size  of  a  farmer's  hay-fork,  his  lady's 
stirrups,  the  rib  of  a  mastodon  which  the  porter  pre 
tended  belonged  to  the  great  "  Dun  Cow,"  which,, 
H* 


234  IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN. 

according  to  tradition,  haunted  a  ditch  near  Coventry, 
and  after  doing  injury  to  many  persons,  was  slain  by  the 
valiant  Guy.  The  sword  weighed  nearly  200  pounds, 
and  the  armor  400  pounds. 

I  told  the  old  porter  he  was  entitled  to  great  credit 
for  having  concentrated  more  lies  than  I  had  ever  before 
heard  in  so  small  a  compass.  He  smiled,  and  evidently 
felt  gratified  by  the  compliment. 

"  I  suppose,"  I  continued,  "  that  you  have  told  these 
marvellous  stories  so  often,  that  you  believe  them  your 
self?  " 

"  Almost!"  replied  the  porter,  with  a  grin  of  satisfac 
tion  that  showed  he  was  "up  to  snuff,"  and  had  really 
earned  two  shillings. 

"  Come  now,  old  fellow,"  said  I,  "  what  will  you  take 
for  the  entire  lot  of  those  traps  ?  I  want  them  for  my 
Museum  in  America." 

"  No  money  would  buy  these  valuable  historical 
mementos  of  a  by-gone  age,"  replied  the  old  porter 
with  a  leer. 

"Never  mind,"  I  exclaimed ;  "  I'll  have  them  dupli 
cated  for  my  Museum,  so  that  Americans  can  see  them 
and  avoid  the  necessity  of  coming  here,  and  in  that  way 
I'll  burst  up  your  show." 

Albert  Smith  laughed  immoderately  at  the  astonish 
ment  of  the  porter  when  I  made  this  threat,  and  I  was 
greatly  amused,  some  years  afterwards,  when  Albert 
Smith  became  a  successful  showman  and  was  exhibiting 
his  "  Mont  Blanc  "  to  delighted  audiences  in  London,  to 
discover  that  he  had  introduced  this  very  incident  into 
his  lecture,  of  course,  changing  the  names  and  locality. 
He  often  confessed  that  he  derived  his  very  first  idea 
of  becoming  a  showman  from  my  talk  about  the  business 


IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN.  235 

and  my  doings,  on  this  charming  day  when  we  visited 
Warwick. 

The  "  Warwick  races "  were  coming  off  that  day, 
within  half  a  mile  of  the  village,  and  we  therefore  went 
down  and  spent  an  hour  with  the  multitude.  There 
was  very  little  excitement  regarding  the  races,  and  we 
concluded  to  take  a  tour  through  the  "  penny  shows," 
the  vans  of  which  lined  one  side  of  the  course  for  the 
distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  On  applying  to  enter 
one  van,  which  had  a  large  pictorial  sign  of  giantesses, 
white  negro,  Albino  girls,  learned  pig,  hig  snakes,  etc., 
the  keeper  exclaimed: 

"  Come,  Mister,  you  is  the  man  what  hired  Randall, 
the  giant,  for  'Merika,  and  you  shows  Tom  Thumb  ;  now 
can  you  think  of  paying  less  than  sixpence  for  going  in 
here  ? " 

The  appeal  was  irresistible ;  so,  satisfying  his 
demands,  we  entered.  Upon  coming  out,  a  whole  bevy 
of  showmen  from  that  and  neighboring  vans  surrounded 
me,  and  began  descanting  on  the  merits  and  demerits  of 
General  Tom  Thumb. 

"  Oh,"  says  one,  "  I  knows  two  dwarfs  what  is  better 
ten  times  as  Tom  Thumb." 

46  Yes,"  says  another,  "  there's  no  use  to  talk  about 
Tom  Thumb  while  Melia  Patton  is  above  tlie  ground." 

"  Now,  I've  seen  Tom  Thumb,"  added  a  third,  "  and 
he  is  a  fine  little  squab,  but  the  only  'vantage  he's  got  is 
he  can  chaff  so  well.  He  chaffs  like  a  man ;  but  I  can 
learn  Dick  Swift  in  two  months,  so  that  he  can  chaff 
Tom  Thumb  crazy." 

"  Never  mind,"  added  a  fourth,  "  I've  got  a  chap 
training  what  you  none  on  you  knows,  what  '11  beat  all 
the  '  thumbs '  on  your  grapplers." 


236  IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN. 

"  No,  he  can't,"  exclaimed  a  fifth,  "  for  Tom  Thumb 
has  got  the  name,  and  you  all  know  the  name's  every 
thing.  Tom  Thumb  could  n't  never  shine,  even  in  my 
van,  'long  side  of  a  dozen  dwarfs  I  knows,  if  this  Yan 
kee  had  n't  bamboozled  our  Queen,  —  God  bless  her  — 
by  getting  him  afore  her  half  a  dozen  times." 

"Yes,  yes,  —  that's  the  ticket,"  exclaimed  another; 
"  our  Queen  patronizes  everything  foreign,  and  yet  she 
would  n't  visit  my  beautiful  wax-works  to  save  the  crown 
of  Hingland." 

"  Your  beautiful  wax-works !  "  they  all  exclaimed, 
with  a  hearty  laugh. 

"  Yes,  and  who  says  they  haint  beautiful  ?  "  retorted 
the  other ;  "  they  was  made  by  the  best  Hitalian  hartist 
in  this  country." 

"  They  was  made  by  Jim  Caul,  and  showed  all  over 
the  country  twenty  years  ago,"  rejoined  another ;  "  and 
arter  that  they  laid  five  years  in  pawn  in  old  Moll  Wig- 
gin's  cellar,  covered  with  mould  and  dust." 

"  Well,  that's  a  good  'un,  that  is  !  "  replied  the  proprie 
tor  of  the  beautiful  wax- works,  with  a  look  of  disdain. 

I  made  a  move  to  depart,  when  one  of  the  head 
showmen  exclaimed,  "  Come,  Mister,  do  n't  be  shabby  ; 
can  you  think  of  going  without  standing  treat  al] 
round  r' 

"  Why  should  I  stand  treat?  "•  I  asked. 

"  'Cause  't  ain't  every  day  you  can  meet  such  a  bloody 
lot  of  jolly  brother-showmen,"  replied  Mr.  Wax-works. 

I  handed  out  a  crown,  and  left  them  to  drink  bad  luck 
to  the  "  foreign  wagabonds  what  would  bamboozle  their 
Queen  with  inferior  dwarfs,  possessing  no  advantage 
over  the  '  natyves  '  but  the  power  of  chaffing." 

While  in  the  showmen's  vans  seeking  for  acquisitions 


IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN.  237 

to  my  Museum  in  America,  I  was  struck  with  the  tall 
appearance  of  a  couple  of  females  who  exhibited  as  the 
"  Canadian  giantesses,  each  seven  feet  in  height."  Sus 
pecting  that  a  cheat  was  hidden  under  their  unfashion- 
ably  long  dresses,  which  reached  to  the  floor  and  thus 
rendered  their  feet  invisible,  I  attempted  to  solve  the 
mystery  by  raising  a  foot  or  two  of  the  superfluous  cover 
ing.  The  strapping  young  lady,  not  relishing  such 
liberties  from  a  stranger,  laid  me  flat  upon  the  floor  with 
a  blow  from  her  brawny  hand.  I  was  on  my  feet  again  in 
tolerably  quick  time,  but  not  until  I  had  discovered  that 
she  stood  upon  a  pedestal  at  least  eighteen  inches  high. 

We  returned  to  the  hotel,  took  a  post-chaise,  and 
drove  through  decidedly  the  most  lovely  country  I  ever 
beheld.  Since  taking  that  tour,  I  have  heard  that  two 
gentlemen  once  made  a  bet,  each,  that  he  could  name 
the  most  delightful  drive  in  England.  Many  persons 
were  present,  and  the  two  gentlemen  wrote  on  separate 
slips  of  paper  the  scene  which  he  most  admired.  One 
gentleman  wrote,  "  The  road  from  Warwick  to  Coven 
try  ;  "  the  other  had  written,  "  The  road  from  Coventry 
to  Warwick." 

In  less  than  an  hour  we  were  set  down  at  the  outer 
walls  of  Kenil worth  Castle,  which  Scott  has  greatly 
aided  to  immortalize  in  his  celebrated  novel  of  that 
name.  This  once  noble  and  magnificent  castle  is  now  a 
stupendous  ruin,  which  has  been  so  often  described 
that  I  think  it  unnecessary  to  say  anything  about  it 
here.  We  spent  half  an  hour  in  examining  the  inter 
esting  ruins,  and  then  proceeded  by  post-chaise  to  Cov 
entry,  a  distance  of  six  or  eight  miles.  Here  we 
remained  four  hours,  during  which  time  we  visited 
St.  Mary's  Hall,  which  has  attracted  the  notice  of  many 


238  IN  ENGLAND  AGAIN. 

antiquaries.  We  also  took  our  own  "  peep "  at  the 
effigy  of  the  celebrated  "  Peeping  Tom,"  after  which 
we  visited  an  exhibition  called  the  "  Happy  Family," 
consisting  of  about  two  hundred  birds  and  animals 
of  opposite  natures  and  propensities,  all  living  in 
harmony  together  in  one  cage.  This  exhibition  was  so 
remarkable  that  I  bought  it  and  hired  the  proprietor  to 
accompany  it  to  New  York,  and  it  became  an  attractive 
feature  in  my  Museum. 

We  took  the  cars  the  same  evening  for  Birmingham, 
where  we  arrived  at  ten  o'clock,  Albert  Smith  remark 
ing,  that  never  before  in  his  life  had  he  accomplished 
a  day's  journey  on  the  Yankee  go-ahead  principle.  He 
afterwards  published  a  chapter  in  Bentleys  Maga 
zine  entitled  "  A  Day  with  Barnum,"  in  which  he  said 
we  accomplished  business  with  such  rapidity,  that 
when  he  attempted  to  write  out  the  accounts  of  the 
day,  he  found  the  whole  thing  so  confused  in  his  brain 
that  he  came  near  locating  "  Peeping  Tom "  in  the 
house  of  Shakespeare,  while  Guy  of  Warwick  would 
stick  his  head  above  the  ruins  of  Kenilworth,  and  the 
Warwick  Vase  appeared  in  Coventry. 


CHAPT_ER  XV. 

EETUEN  TO  AMERICA. 

V  .-vWr  -10  Yluii 

THE  WIZARD  OF  THE  NORTH  —  A  JUGGLER  BEATEN  AT  HIS  OWN  TRICKS  —  SECOND 
VISIT  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES  —  REVEREND  DOCTOR  ROBERT  BAIRD  —  CAPTAIN 
JUDKINS  THREATENS  TO  PUT  ME  IN  IRONS  —  VIEWS  WITH  REGARD  TO  SECTS 

—  A  WICKED  WOMAN — THE  SIMPSONS  IN  EUROPE  —  REMINISCENCES  OF  TRAVEL. 

—  SAUCE  AND  "SASS" — TEA   TOO  SWEET  —  A  UNIVERSAL  LANGUAGE  —  ROAST 
DUCK— SNOW    IN    AUGUST— TALES    OF    TRAVELLERS  —  SIMPSON    NOT    TO    BE 
TAKEN  IN  —  HOLLANDERS   IN  BRUSSELS  —  WHERE   ALL   THE   DUTCHMEN    COMB 
FROM  —  THREE     YEARS     IN     EUROPE  —  WARM     PERSONAL      FRIENDS  —  DOCTOR 
C.    S.     BREWSTER  —  HENRY    SUMNER  —  GEORGE    SAND  —  LORENZO    DRAPER  — 
GEORGE  P.    PUTNAM  —  OUR  LAST    PERFORMANCE   IN  DUBLIN  —  DANIEL  o'CON- 
NELL  —  END  OF  OUR    TOUR  —  DEPARTURE    FOR    AMERICA — ARRIVAL    IN    NEW 
YORK. 

WHILE  I  was  at  Aberdeen,  in  Scotland,  I  met  Ander 
son,  the  "  Wizard  of  the  North."  I  had  known  him  for 
a  long  time,  and  we  were  on  familiar  terms.  The  Gen 
eral's  exhibitions  were  to  close  on  Saturday  night,  and 
Anderson  was  to  open  in  the  same  hall  on  Monday  even 
ing.  He  came  to  our  exhibition,  and  at  the  close  we 
went  to  the  hotel  together  to  get  a  little  supper.  After 
supper  we  were  having  some  fun  and  jokes  together, 
when  it  occurred  to  Anderson  to  introduce  me  to  sev 
eral  persons  who  were  sitting  in  the  room,  as  the 
"  Wizard  of  the  North,"  at  the  same  time  asking  me 
about  my  tricks  and  my  forthcoming  exhibition.  He 
kept  this  up  so  persistently  that  some  of  our  friends  who 
were  present,  declared  that  Anderson  was  "  too  much 
for  me,"  and,  meanwhile,  fresh  introductions  to  stran 
gers  who  came  in,  had  made  me  pretty  generally 


240  EETUEN  TO  AMERICA. 

known  in  that  circle  as  the  "  Wizard  of  the  North," 
who  was  to  astonish  the  town  in  the  following  week.  I 
accepted  the  situation  at  last,  and  said : 

"  Well,  gentlemen,  as  I  perform  here  for  the  first 
time,  on  Monday  evening,  I  like  to  be  liberal,  and  I 
should  be  very  happy  to  give  orders  of  admission  to 
those  of  you  who  will  attend  my  exhibition." 

The  applications  for  orders  were  quite  general,  and 
I  had  written  thirty  or  forty,  when  Anderson,  who  saw 
that  I  was  in  a  fair  way  of  filling  his  house  with  "  dead 
heads,"  cried  out  — 

"  Hold  on !  "  I  am  the  <  Wizard  of  the  North.7  I'll 
stand  the  orders  already  given,  but  not  another  one." 

Our  friends,  including  the  "  Wizard  "  himself,  began 
to  think  that  I  had  rather  the  best  of  the  joke. 

During  our  three  years'  stay  abroad,  I  made  a  second 
hasty  visit  to  America,  leaving  the  General  in  England 
in  the  hands  of  my  agents.  I  took  passage  from  Liver 
pool  on  board  a  Cunard  steamer,  commanded  by  Captain 
Judkins.  One  of  my  fellow  passengers  was  the  cele 
brated  divine,  Robert  Baird.  I  had  known  him  as  the 
author  of  an  octavo  volume,  "Religion  in  America"; 
and  while  that  work  had  impressed  me  as  exhibiting 
great  ability  and  an  outspoken  honesty  of  purpose,  it 
had  also  given  me  the  notion  that  its  author  must  be 
very  rigid  and  intolerant  as  a  sectarian.  Still  I  was 
happy  to  make  his  acquaintance  on  board  the  steamship, 
and  soon  regarded  with  favor  the  venerable  Presbyterian 
divine. 

Dr.  Baird  had  been  for  some  time  a  missionary  in 
Sweden.  He  was  now  paying  a  visit  to  his  native  land. 
I  found  him  a  shrewd,  well-informed  Christian  gentle 
man,  and  I  took  much  pleasure  in  hearing  him  con- 


RETURN  TO  AMERICA. 

verse.  One  night  it  was  storming  furiously.  The 
waves,  rolling  high,  afforded  a  sight  of  awful  grandeur, 
to  witness  which  I  was  tempted  to  put  on  a  pea-jacket, 
go  upon  the  deck,  and  lash  myself  to  the  side  of  the 
ship.  After  I  had  been  there  nearly  an  hour,  wrapt  in 
meditation  and  wonder,  not  unmixed  with  awe,  Dr. 
Baird  came  up  in  the  darkness,  feeling  his  way  cau 
tiously  along  the  deck.  As  he  came  where  I  was,  I 
hailed  him ;  and  he  asked  what  I  was  doing  so  long  up 
there. 

"  Listening  to  the  preaching,  Doctor,"  I  replied ;  "  and 
I  think  it  heats  even  yours,  although  I  have  never  had 
the  pleasure  of  hearing  you." 

"  Ah  !  "  he  replied,  "  none  of  us  can  preach  like  this. 
How  humble  and  insignificant  we  all  feel  in  the  pres 
ence  of  such  a  display  of  the  Almighty  power ;  and  how 
grateful  we  should  be  to  remember  that  infinite  love 
guides  this  power." 

The  Sunday  following,  divine  service  was  held  as 
usual  in  the  large  after  cabin.  Of  course  it  was  the 
Episcopal  form  of  worship.  The  captain  conducted  the 
services,  assisted  by  the  clerk  and  the  ship's  surgeon. 
A  dozen  or  two  of  the  sailors,  shaved,  washed,  and 
neatly  dressed,  were  marched  into  the  cabin  by  the 
mate ;  most  of  the  passengers  were  also  present. 

Those  who  have  witnessed  this  service,  as  conducted 
by  Captain  Judkins,  need  not  be  reminded  that  he  does 
it  much  as  he  performs  his  duties  on  deck.  He  speaks 
as  one  having  authority  ;  and  a  listener  could  hardly 
help  feeling  that  there  would  be  some  danger  of  a 
"  row "  if  the  petitions  (made  as  a  sort  of  command) 
were  not  speedily  answered. 

After  dinner  I  asked  Dr.  Baird  if  he  would  be  will- 


24:2  RETURN  TO  AMERICA. 

ing  to  preach  to  the  passengers  in  the  forward  cabin. 
He  said  he  would  cheerfully  do  so  if  it  was  desired.  I 
mentioned  it  to  the  passengers,  and  there  was  a  gen 
erally-expressed  wish  among  them  that  he  should 
preach.  I  went  into  the  forward  cabin,  and  requested 
the  steward  to  arrange  the  chairs  and  tables  properly 
for  religious  service.  He  replied  that  I  must  first  get 
the  captain's  consent.  Of  course,  I  thought  this  was  a 
mere  matter  of  form ;  so  I  went  to  the  captain's  office, 
and  said  : 

"  Captain,  the  passengers  desire  to  have  Dr.  Baird 
conduct  a  religious  service  in  the  forward  cabin.  I 
suppose  there  is  no  objection." 

"  Decidedly  there  is,"  replied  the  captain,  gruffly ; 
"  and  it  will  not  be  permitted." 

"  Why  not1?  "  I  asked,  in  astonishment. 

"It  is  against  the  rules  of  the  ship." 

"  What !  to  have  religious  services  on  board  ?  " 

"  There  have  been  religious  services  once  to-day,  and 
that  is  enough.  If  the  passengers  do  not  think  that  is 
good  enough,  let  them  go  without,"  was  the  captain's 
hasty  and  austere  reply. 

"  Captain,"  I  replied,  "do  you  pretend  to  say  you  will 
not  allow  a  respectable  and  well-known  clergyman  to 
offer  a  prayer  and  hold  religious  services  on  board  your 
ship  at  the  request  of  your  passengers  ?  " 

"  That,  sir,  is  exactly  what  I  say.  So,  now,  let  me 
hear  no  more  about  it." 

By  this  time  a  dozen  passengers  were  crowding  around 
his  door,  and  expressing  their  surprise  at  his  conduct. 
I  was  indignant,  and  used  sharp  language. 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  this  is  the  most  contemptible  thing 
I  ever  heard  of  on  the  part  of  the  owners  of  a  public 


EETURN  TO  AMERICA.  243 

passenger  ship.  Their  meanness  ought  to  be  published 
far  and  wide." 

"  You  had  better  '  shut  up/  "  said  Captain  Judkins, 
with  great  sternness. 

"  I  will  not c  shut  up,'  "  I  replied ;  "  for  this  thing  is 
perfectly  outrageous.  In  that  out-of-the-way  forward 
cabin,  you  allow,  on  week  days,  gambling,  swearing, 
smoking  and  singing,  till  late  at  night ;  and  yet  on  Sun 
day  you  have  the  impudence  to  deny  the  privilege  of  a 
prayer-meeting,  conducted  by  a  gray-haired  and  respected 
minister  of  the  gospel.  It  is  simply  infamous  !  " 

Captain  Judkins  turned  red  in  the  face  ;  and,  no  doubt 
feeling  that  he  was  "  monarch  of  all  he  surveyed," 
exclaimed,  in  a  loud  voice  : 

"  If  you  repeat  such   language,  I  will  put  you  in 


irons." 


"  Do  it,  if  you  dare,"  said  I,  feeling  my  indignation 
rising  rapidly.  "  I  dare  and  defy  you  to  put  your  finger 
on  me.  I  would  like  to  sail  into  New  York  Harbor  in 
handcuffs,  on  board  a  British  ship,  for  the  terrible  crime 
of  asking  that  religious  worship  may  be  permitted  on 
board.  So  you  may  try  it  as  soon  as  you  please  ;  and, 
when  we  get  to  New  York,  I'll  show  you  a  touch  of 
Yankee  ideas  of  religious  intolerance." 

The  captain  made  no  reply ;  and,  at  the  request  of 
friends,  I  walked  to  another  part  of  the  ship.  I  told 
the  Doctor  how  the  matter  stood,  and  then,  laughingly, 
said  to  him : 

"  Doctor,  it  may  be  dangerous  for  you  to  tell  of  this 
incident  when  you  get  on  shore  ;  for  it  would  be  a  pretty 
strong  draught  upon  the  credulity  of  many  of  my  country 
men  if  they  were  told  that  my  zeal  to  hear  an  Orthodox 
minister  preach  was  so  great  that  it  came  near  getting 


244  RETURN  TO  AMERICA. 

me  into  solitary  confinement.     But  I  am  not  prejudiced, 
and  I  like  fair  play." 

The  old  Doctor  replied :  "  Well,  you  have  not  lost 
much ;  and,  if  the  rules  of  this  ship  are  so  stringent,  I 
suppose  we  must  submit." 

The  captain  and  myself  had  no  further  intercourse  for 
five  or  six  days ;  not  until  a  few  hours  before  our 
arrival  in  New  York.  Being  at  dinner,  he  sent  his 
champagne  bottle  to  me,  and  asked  to  "  drink  my 
health,"  at  the  same  time  stating  that  he  hoped  no  ill 
feeling  would  be  carried  ashore.  I  was  not  then,  as  I 
am  now,  a  teetotaler  ;  so  I  accepted  the  proffered  truce, 
and  I  regret  that  I  must  add  I  "  washed  down"  my 
wrath  in  a  bottle  of  Heidsick  —  a  poor  example,  which 
I  hope  never  to  repeat.  We  have  frequently  met  since, 
and  always  with  friendly  greetings  ;  but  I  have  ever  felt 
that  his  manners  were  unnecessarily  coarse  and  offensive 
in  carrying  out  an  arbitrary  and  bigoted  rule  of  the 
steamship  company. 

Though  I  have  never  lacked  definite  opinions,  or 
hesitated  to  exhibit  decided  preferences  in  regard  to  the 
different  religious  creeds,  I  have  never  been  so  sectarian 
as  to  imagine  that  any  one  of  the  denominations  is  with 
out  any  truth,  or  exists  for  no  good  purpose.  On  the 
contrary,  I  hold  that  every  faith  has  somewhat  of  truth  ; 
and  that  each  sect,  in  its  way,  does  a  work  which  per 
haps  no  one  of  the  other  sects  can  do  as  well.  I  was 
strongly  confirmed  in  this  general  belief  by  an  im 
promptu  utterance  of  Dr.  Baird,  during  one  of  ouj 
conversations,  which,  under  the  circumstances,  was  not 
a  little  amusing,  as  it  certainly  evinced  a  good  deal  of 
insight  into  human  nature.  It  is  well  known  that  the 
old  Doctor  was  very  rigid  in  his  theological  views,  and 


RETURN  TO  AMERICA.  245 

in  his  career  never  spared  either  the  Methodists  or  the 
people  of  the  so-called  liberal  opinions.  During  our 
passage  across  the  Atlantic,  we  very  naturally  had  con 
siderable  tilting  in  regard  to  opinions  which  divided  us, 
though  in  a  thoroughly  good-natured  way.  At  last  I 
recalled  the  case  of  a  woman,  somewhat  noted  among 
her  neighbors  for  coarseness  of  speech,  including  pro 
fanity,  making  her  altogether  such  a  person  as  needed 
the  refining  influence  of  religious  teaching.  Describing 
the  very  unpromising  condition  of  this  woman,  I  said  : 

u  Well,  Doctor,  if  you  can  do  anything  with  your 
creed  to  improve  that  woman,  I  should  be  glad  to  see 
you  undertake  the  job." 

I  was  at  once  struck  with  the  business  air  in  which 
he  considered  the  exigencies  of  what  was  undoubtedly  a 
hard  case.  It  was  clear  that  he  had  dropped  the 
character  of  the  sectarian,  and  was  taking  a  common- 
sense  view  of  the  problem.  The  problem  was  soon 
solved,  and  he  replied  : 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  it  is  of  no  use  for  you,  with  your 
opinions,  to  attempt  to  do  anything  for  that  sort  of  a  per 
son  ;  and  it  is  equally  useless  for  me,  with  my  views,  to 
attempt  it  either.  But,  if  you  could  contrive  a  way  to 
set  some  fiery,  rousing  Methodist  to  work  upon  her, 
why,  he  is  just  the  man  to  do  it !  " 

There  were  a  number  of  pretty  wild  young  men  among 
our  passengers,  and  on  several  occasions  they  tried  their 
wits  upon  Dr,  Baird.  But  he  was  a  man  of  sterling 
common  sense,  and  with  that,  very  quick  at  repartee  ; 
and  they  never  made  anything  out  of  him.  On  one 
occasion,  at  dinner,  they  were  in  great  glee,  and,  for  a 
"  lark,"  they  sent  him  their  champagne  bottle  to  drink 
a  glass  of  wine  with  them.  They,  of  course,  supposed 


245  ABTUEN  TO  AMERICA. 

he  was  a  teetotaler,  as,  indeed,  I  believe  he  was  ;  but 
when  the  waiter  handed  him  the  bottle,  he  quietly  poured 
a  spoonful  or  two  into  his  glass,  and,  gracefully  bowing 
to  the  young  gentlemen,  placed  it  to  his  lips,  but  not 
tasting  it.  Of  course,  they  could  say  nothing. 

Early  one  morning,  several  of  these  youths  came 
upon  deck,  and,  meeting  the  Doctor  there,  one  of  them 
exclaimed  : 

*'  It  is  cold  as  hell  this  morning,  ain't  it,  Doctor?  " 

"  I  am  unable  to  state  the  exact  height  of  the  ther 
mometer  in  that  locality,"  said  he,  gravely  ;  "  but  I  am 
afraid  you  will  know  all  about  it  some  time,  if  you 
are  not  careful." 

The  laugh  was  decidedly  against  the  young  man ; 
but  one  of  his  companions,  who  thought  considerably 
of  himself,  seemed  anxious  to  take  up  the  cudgel,  and 
he  remarked : 

"  Dr.  Baird,  your  brother  clergymen  are  making  a 
great  ado  in  New  York  about  the  state  of  crime  there ; 
and  they  have  got  a  smelling-committee,  who  go  about 
and  smell  out  all  filthy  places  there,  and  report  them  to 
the  public.  Indeed,  they  do  say  that  several  of  the  clergy, 
and  some  laymen  of  the  Arthur  Tappan  stripe,  have  got 
a  book  in  which  they  have  written  down  a  list  of  all  the 
bad  houses  in  New  York.  I  should  like  to  see  that 
book.  Ha !  ha  !  I  wonder  if  they  have  really  got  one  T 

"  I  do  n't  know  how  that  is,"  replied  Doctor  Baird  ; 
"  but,"  casting  his  eyes  heavenward,  "  I  can  assure  you 
there  is  a  book  in  which  all  such  places  are  recorded,  as 
well  as  the  names  of  those  who  occupy  or  visit  them  ; 
and  in  due  time  it  will  be  opened  to  public  gaze." 

The  young  man  looked  cowed,  and  extending  his 
hand  to  Doctor  Baird,  said : 


RETURN  TO  AMERICA.  247 

"  Sir,  I  confess  I  have  made  too  light  of  a  serious 
matter.  I  sincerely  beg  your  pardon,  if  I  have  offended 
you." 

"  You  have  not  offended  me,"  said  the  Doctor,  with 
a  benignant  smile ;  "  but  I  am  rejoiced  to  perceive  that 
you  have  offended  your  own  sense  of  propriety  and 
morality.  I  trust  you  will  not  forget  it." 

This  was  the  last  attempt  on  board  that  ship  to  try  a 
Jance  with  Doctor  Baird. 

Several  years  later,  when  I  was  engaged  in  the  Jenny 
Lind  enterprise,  Doctor  Baird  called  upon  me.  Having 
been  so  long  a  missionary  in  Sweden,  the  native  land  of 
the  great  songstress,  he  had  a  special  desire  to  make  her 
acquaintance  and  listen  to  her  singing.  I  introduced 
him  to  her,  and  gave  him  the  entree  to  her  concerts.  He 
improved  the  opportunity,  and  he  also  made  frequent 
calls  upon  her.  She  became  much  interested  in  him. 
Indeed,  on  several  occasions  she  contributed  liberally  to 
the  charitable  institutions  he  had  recommended  to  her 
favorable  notice. 

During  my  residence  in  London  I  made  the  acquaint 
ance  of  an  American,  whom  I  will  call  Simpson,  and 
his  wife.  They  had  originally  been  poor,  and  accus 
tomed  to  pretty  low  society.  Their  opportunities  for 
education  had  been  limited,  and  they  were  what  we 
should  term  vulgar,  ignorant,  common  people.  But  by 
a  turn  of  Fortune's  wheel  they  became  suddenly  rich, 
and  like  some  other  fools  who  know  nothing  of  their 
own  country,  they  must  rush  to  make  the  tour  of 
Europe. 

Mr.  Simpson  was  an  ignorant,  good-natured  fellow, 
fond  of  sporting  large  amounts  of  jewelry ;  was  very 
social  with  Englishmen  ;  always  bragging  of  our  "  glo- 

12 


248  (RETURN  TO  AMERICA. 

rious  country  "  ;  and  was  particularly  given  to  boasting 
that  he  was  once  poor  and  now  he  was  rich.  When 
ever  he  met  Americans  he  was  delighted,  and  insisted 
on  the  privilege  of  "  standing  treats  "  to  all  around, 
familiarly  slapping  on  the  back,  and  treating  as  an  old 
chum,  any  American  gentleman,  however  refined,  whom 
he  might  come  in  contact  with. 

Mrs.  Simpson  was  a  coarse  woman,  yet  always  study 
ing  politeness,  and  particularly  the  proper  pronuncia 
tion  of  words.  She  was  ever  trying  to  appear  refined  ; 
and  she  prided  herself  upon  understanding  all  the  rules 
of  etiquette  and  fashion.  She  was  continually  purchas 
ing  new  dresses  and  fashionable  articles  of  apparel. 
She  loaded  herself  down  with  diamonds  and  tawdry 
jewelry,  and  would  frequently  appear  in  the  streets 
with  six  or  eight  different  dresses  in  a  day.  But, 
strange  to  say,  with  all  her  pride  and  vanity  with  regard 
to  being  considered  the  perfection  of  refinement,  she 
had  an  awful  habit  of  using  profane  language !  She 
really  seemed  to  think  this  an  evidence  of  good  breed 
ing.  Perhaps  she  thought  it  a  luxury  which  rich  peo 
ple  were  entitled  to  enjoy.  This  peculiarity  occasion 
ally  led  to  most  ludicrous  scenes. 

The  Simpsons  were  from  New  England ;  and  in  their 
conversation  they  had  the  nasal  Yankee  twang,  and  the 
peculiar  pronunciation  of  the  illiterate  class  of  the  New 
England  people. 

Those  who  have  heard  John  E.  Owens  in  Ci  Solon 
Shingle,"  are  aware  that  preserved  fruits  are  in  New 
England  called  "  sauce,"  by  the  vulgar  pronounced 
"  sass."  But  when  Mrs..  Simpson  heard  the  word  in 
England  pronounced  sauce,  she  was  very  anxious  tlmt 
John,  her  husband,  should  adopt  the  new  pronuncia? 


RETURN  TO  AMERICA.  249 

tion.  He  tried  hard  to  learn,  but  would  frequently 
forget  himself  and  say  "  sass."  Mrs.  Simpson  would 
lose  ker  patience  on  such  occasions,  and  reprove  her 
husband  sharply.  Indeed,  if  he  escaped  without  re 
ceiving  some  profane  epithet  from  the  lips  of  his 
would-be  fashionable  wife,  it  was  a  wonder. 

On  one  occasion  I  happened  to  meet  them  at  dinner 
with  an  English  family  in  London,  to  whom  I  had,  in 
the  way  of  business,  introduced  them  a  few  weeks  pre 
viously.  We  had  scarcely  taken  our  seats  at  the  table 
before  Simpson  happened  to  discover  a  dish  of  sweet 
meats  at  the  further  corner  of  the  table.  Turning  to 
the  servant  he  said : 

"  Please  pass  me  that  sass." 

Mrs.  Simpson's  eyes  flashed  indignantly,  and  she 
angrily  exclaimed,  almost  in  a  scream : 

"  Say  sauce  ;  don't  say  '  sass.'  I'd  rather  hear  you 
say  h— 1  a  d — d  sight !" 

That  our  English  hostess  was  amazed  and  shocked  it 
is  needless  to  say,  although  she  preserved  her  equa 
nimity  better  than  could  be  expected.  As  for  myself, 
I  confess  I  could  not  refrain  from  laughing,  which,  of 
course,  served  only  to  increase  the  wrath  of  Mrs. 
Simpson. 

Fourteen  years  subsequent  to  this  event,  I  called  on 
this  English  lady  in  company  with  an  American  friend. 
In  the  course  of  conversation,  I  happened  to  ask  her  ,*if 
she  remembered  about  Mrs.  Simpson's  "  sass."  She 
took  from  a  drawer  her  memorandum  book,  and  showed 
us  the  above  expression  verbatim,  which,  she  said,  she 
wrote  down  the  same  day  it  was  uttered ;  and  she  added 
she  had  never  been  able  to  think  of  it  since  without 
^aughing. 


250  RETURN  TO  AMERICA. 

I  met  Simpson  and  his  wife  at  a  hotel  in  Marseilles, 
France,  in  the  summer  of  1845.  Mrs.  Simpson  said 
she  and  Simpson  had  almost  determined  not  to  go  to 
France  at  all  when  they  "  heard  it  was  necessary  to 
hire  an  interpreter  to  tell  what  folks  said."  Said  she, 
"I  told  Simpson  I  did  n't  want  to  go  among  a  set  of 
folks  who  were  such  cussed  fools  they  couldn't  speak 
English !  But  of  course  we  must  go  to  France  just 
for  the  speech  of  the  people  when  we  get  home,  so 
here  we  are.  For  my  part,"  she  continued,  "  I  speak 
English  to  these  Frenchmen  anyhow,  and  if  they  can't 
understand  me  they  can  go  without  understanding. 
The  other  morning,  I  told  the  waiter  my  tea  wras  too 
sweet.  I  found  afterwards  that  too  sweet  (toule  de 
suite)  was  French  for  '  very  quick. 

" '  Oui,  madame,'  he  replied,  <  oui,  oui,  que  voulez 
vous  ] '  (what  will  you  have  ?)  " 

ci '  Too  sweet,  too  sweet,'  I  repeated,  4  too  sweet,  too 
sweet.'  Then  I  pointed  to  my  tea,  and  said  again, 
'Too  sweet,  d — n  your  stupid  head,  can't  you  under 
stand  too  sweet?'  The  fool  jumped  around  like  a  hen 
with  her  head  cut  off,  and  kept  saying,  c  Oui,  oui, 
madame,  too  sweet,  qu'est  ceque  c'est  ?  (What  is  it  ?)  ' 
Finally  an  English  gentleman  asked  me  what  was  the 
matter,  and  when  I  told  him,  he  explained  by  telling 
me  that  too  sweet  (toute  de  suite)  in  French  meant 
quick,  very  quick,  and  that  was  what  made  the  stupid 
waiter  jump  around  so." 

«  But  d — n  the  French  waiters,"  she  continued,  "  I 
have  got  quit  of  them  finally,  for  I  have  found  out  a 
language  we  both  understand. 

"  The  same  day  my  tea  was  too  sweet,  Simpson  was 
out  at  dinner  time ;  and  I  went  to  the  table  alone.  I 


RETURN  TO  AMERICA.  251 

called  for  soup,  and  the  sap-heads  brought  me  some 
sort  of  preserves.  I  then  called  for  fish,  and  the  fools 
could  not  understand  me.  Then  I  said,  '  Bring  me 
some  chicken/  and  d — n  'em,  they  danced  about  in 
a  quandary  till  I  thought  I  should  starve  to  death.  But 
finally  I  thought  of  roast  duck.  I  am  dreadfully  fond 
of  duck,  and  I  knew  they  always  had  stuffed  ducks' 
at  dinner  time.  So  I  called  to  the  waiter  once  more, 
and  pointed  to  my  plate  and  said,  c  quack,  quack,  quack, 
now  do  you  understand  V  and  the  fool  began  to  laugh, 
and  said,  '  Oui,  rnadame,  oui,  oui,'  and  off  he  ran,  and 
soon  brought  me  the  nicest  piece  of  duck  you  ever  saw. 
So  now  every  day  at  dinner,  I  say  ;  quack,  quack,'  and 
I  always  get  some  first-rate  duck." 

I  congratulated  her  on  having  discovered  a  universal 
language. 

The  same  day,  I  met  a  young  Englishman  in  the 
hotel,  who  had  been  travelling  in  Spain.  During  our 
conversation  we  were  summoned  to  dinner.  At  the 
table  d'hote,  Simpson  happened  to  be  seated  exactly 
opposite  us.  As  we  continued  our  conversation,  Simp 
son  heard  it,  and  his  attention  was  particularly  arrested 
—  it  being  something  of  a  novelty  to  meet  a  stranger  in 
these  parts,  who  spoke  our  native  tongue.  The  Eng 
lish  gentleman  mentioned  that  he  ascended  the  Pyrenees 
the  week  previous. 

"  I  should  like  to  have  been  with  you,"  I  remarked, 
"  but  I  am  almost  too  fat  and  lazy  to  climb  high  moun 
tains.  I  suppose  you  found  it  pretty  hard  work." 

"  Yes,  we  had  to  rough  it  some ;  we  encountered 
considerable  snow,"  he  replied. 

"  Snow !  "  exclaimed  Simpson,  in  astonishment. 

The  Englishman  looked  with  surprise  at  this  inter- 


252  RETURN  TO  AMERICA. 

ruption ;  for  he  did  not  know  Simpson,  nor  had  he  ever 
heard  him  speak  before.  However,  he  quietly  replied, 
"  Yes,  sir,  snow." 

"  Not  by  a  d d  sight,  you  didn't,"  replied  Simp 
son,  emphatically.  "  That  wont  go  down.  Snow  in 
August  wont  do.  I  have  seen  snow  myself  in  Connec 
ticut,  the  last  of  September,  but  it  wont  do  in  August, 
by  a  thundering  sight." 

The  Englishman  sprang  to  his  feet,  but  I  hit  him  a 
nudge,  and  said,  u  It  is  all  right.  Excuse  me;  let  me 
introduce  my  friend,  Mr.  Simpson,  from  America.  He 
has  travelled  some,  and  it  is  pretty  hard  to  take  him  in 
with  big  stories." 

He  comprehended  the  matter  instantly  and  sat  down. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  remarked  Simpson,  "  I  have  heard  travel 
lers  before,  but  August  is  a  leetle  too  early  for  snow." 

"  But  suppose  I  should  say  it  was  not  this  year's 
snow  ? "  said  the  Englishman,  who  was  ready  now  to 
carry  on  the  joke. 

"  Worse  and  worse,"  exclaimed  Simpson,  with  a  tri 
umphant  laugh  ;  "  if  it  would  not  melt  in  August,  when 
in  thunder  would  it  melt !  You  might  as  well  say  it 
would  lay  all  the  year  round." 

"  I  give  it  up,"  said  the  Englishman,  "  you  are  too 
sharp  for  me." 

Simpson  was  delighted,  and  took  special  pains  for 
several  days  to  inform  the  interpreters  in  the  neighbor 
ing  hotels  and  billiard  saloons,  that  he  had  "  took 
down"  an  impudent  John  Bull,  who  had  tried  to  stuff 
him  with  the  idea  that  he  had  seen  snow  in  August. 

I  met  the  Simpsons  afterwards  in  Brussels,  and  the 
head  of  the  family,  who  had  heard  nothing  but  French 
spoken,  outside  of  his  own  circle,  for  a  long  time,  called 


HETUKN   TO  AMERICA.  253 

me  in  great  glee  to  the  door,  to  see  and  hear  some 
Dutchmen,  who  were  conversing  together  in  the  street. 

"  There !  "  exclaimed  Simpson,  "  those  fellows  are 
Dutchmen  ;  I  know  by  their  talk." 

"  Very  well,"  said  I,  "  how  far  do  you  suppose  those 
Dutchmen  are  from  their  native  place  ? " 

"  Why,"  replied  Simpson,  "I  suppose  they  came  from 
Western  Pennsylvania ;  that's  where  I  have  always  seen 
'em." 

With  the  exception  of  the  brief  time  passed  in  mak 
ing  two  short  visits  to  America,  I  had  now  passed  three 
years  with  General  Tom  Thumb  in  Great  Britain  and 
on  the  Continent  The  entire  period  had  been  a  season 
of  unbroken  pleasure  and  profit.  I  had  immensely 
enlarged  my  business  experiences  and  had  made  money 
and  many  friends.  Among  those  to  whom  I  am 
indebted  for  special  courtesies  while  I  was  abroad  are 
Dr.  C.  S.  Brewster,  whose  prosperous  professional 
career  in  Russia  and  France  is  well  known,  and  Henry 
Sumner,  Esq.,  who  occupied  a  high  position  in  the 
social  and  literary  circles  of  Paris  and  who  introduced 
me  to  George  Sand  and  to  many  other  distinguished 
persons.  To  both  these  gentlemen,  as  well  as  to  Mr. 
John  Nimmo,  an  English  gentleman  connected  with 
Galignanis  Messenger,  Mr.  Lorenzo  Draper,  the  Ameri 
can  Consul,  and  Mr.  Dion  Boucicault,  I  was  largely 
indebted  for  attention.  In  London,  two  gentlemen 
especially  merit  my  .warm  acknowledgments  for  many 
valuable  favors.  I  refer  to  the  late  Thomas  Brettell, 
publisher,  Hay  market ;  and  Mr.  E.  Fillingham,  Jr., 
Fenchurch  Street.  I  was  also  indebted  to  Mr.  G.  P. 
Putnam,  at  that  time  a  London  publisher,  for  much 
useful  information. 


254  RETURN  TO  AMERICA. 

We  had  visited  nearly  every  city  and  town  in  France 
and  Belgium,  all  the  principal  places  in  England  and 
Scotland,  besides  going  to  Belfast  and  Dublin,  in  Ireland. 
I  had  several  times  met  Daniel  O'Connell  in  private 
life  and  in  the  Irish  capital  I  heard  him  make  an 
eloquent  and  powerful  public  Repeal  speech  in  Con 
ciliation  HalL  In  Dublin,  after  exhibiting  a  week  in 
Rotunda  Hall,  our  receipts  on  the  last  day  were  £261, 
or  $1,305,  and  the  General  also  received  £50,  or 
$250,  for  playing  the  same  evening  at  the  Theatre 
Eoyal.  Thus  closing  a  truly  triumphant  tour,  we  set 
sail  for  New  York,  arriving  in  February  1847. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

AT   HOME. 

RENEWING    THE  LEASE  OF  THE  MUSEUM  BUILDING  —  TOM  THUMB  IN  AMERICA  — 
TOUR  THROUGH  THE  COUNTRY  —  JOURNEY    TO    CUBA  —  BARNUM  A   CURIOSITY 

—  RAISING  TURKEYS  —  CEASING  TO  BE  A  TRAVELLING  SHOWMAN  — RETURN  TO 
BRIDGEPORT  —  ADVANTAGES  AND  CAPABILITIES  OF  THAT  CITY  —  SEARCH  FOR  A 
HOME  —  THE  FINDING  —  BUILDING  AND    COMPLETION    OF    IRANISTAN  —  GRAND 
HOUSE-WARMING  —  BUYING  THE  BALTIMORE  MUSEUM  —  OPENING    THE    PHIL 
ADELPHIA  MUSEUM  —  CATERING  FOR  QUAKERS  —  THE  TEMPERANCE   PLEDGE 
AT  THE   THEATRE — PURCHASING  PEALE's  PHILADELPHIA    COLLECTION  —  MY 
AGRICULTURAL  AND  ARBORICULTURAL  DOINGS — "  GERSY  BLEW  "    CHICKENS 

—  HOW  I  SOLD  MY  POTATOES  —  HOW  I  BOUGHT  OTHER    PEOPLE'S    POTATOES 

—  CUTTING    OFF    GRAFTS  —  MY    DEER     PARK  —  MY      GAME-KEEPER  —  FRANK 
LESLIE  —  PLEASURES   OF  HOME. 

ONE  of  my  main  objects  in  returning  home  at  this 
time,  was  to  obtain  a  longer  lease  of  the  premises  occu 
pied  by  the  American  Museum.  My  lease  had  still  three 
years  to  run,  but  Mr.  Olmsted,  the  proprietor  of  the 
building,  was  dead,  and  I  was  anxious  to  make  provision 
in  time  for  the  perpetuity  of  my  establishment,  for  I 
meant  to  make  the  Museum  a  permanent  institution  in 
the  city,  and  if  I  could  riot  renew  my  lease,  I  intended 
to  build  an  appropriate  edifice  on  Broadway.  I  finally 
succeeded,  however,  in  getting  the  lease  of  the  entire 
building,  covering  fifty-six  feet  by  one  hundred,  for 
twenty-five  years,  at  an  annual  rent  of  $10,000  and  the 
ordinary  taxes  and  assessments.  I  had  already  hired  in 
addition  the  upper  stories  of  three  adjoining  buildings. 
My  Museum  receipts  were  more  in  one  day,  than  they 

formerly  were  in  an  entire  week,  and  the  establishment 
12* 


AT  HOME. 


had  become  so  popular  that  it  was  thronged  at  all  hours 
from  early  morning  to  closing  time  at  night. 

On  my  return,  I  promptly  made  use  of  General  Tom 
Thumb's    European    reputation.     He    immediately    ap 
peared  in  the  American  Museum,  and  for  four  weeks 
drew  such  crowds  of  visitors  as  had  never  been  seen 
there  before.     He  afterwards  spent  a  month  in  Bridge 
port,  with  his  kindred.     To  prevent  being  annoyed  by 
the  curious,  who  would  be  sure  to  throng  the  houses  of 
his  relatives,  he  exhibited  two  days  at  Bridgeport.     The 
receipts,  amounting   to    several  hundred  dollars,   were 
presented  to  the  Bridgeport  Charitable  Society.     The 
Bridgeporters  were    much   delighted   to   see  their    old 
friend,   "little    Charlie,"    again.     They   little   thought, 
when  they  saw  him  playing  about  the  streets   a  few 
years  previously,  that  he  was  destined  to  create  such  £ 
sensation  among  the  crowned  heads  of  the  old  world  ; 
and  now,  returning  with  his  European  reputation,  he 
was,  of  course,  a  great  curiosity  to  his  former  acquaint 
ances,  as  well  as  to  the  public  generally.     His  Bridge 
port  friends  found  that  he  had  not  increased  in  size  dur 
ing  the  four  and  a  half  years  of  his  absence,  but  they 
discovered    that    he    had    become    sharp    and    witty, 
"  abounding  in  foreign  airs  and  native  graces  "  ;  in  fact, 
that  he  was  quite  unlike  the  little,  diffident  country  fel 
low  whom  they  had  formerly  known. 

"  We  never  thought  Charlie  much  of  a  phenomenon 
when  he  lived  among  us,"  said  one  of  the  first  citizens 
of  the  place,  "  but  now  that  he  has  become  '  Barnum- 
ized,'  he  is  a  rare  curiosity." 

But  there  was  really  no  mystery  about  it  ;  the  whole 
change  made  by  training  and  travel,  had  appeared  to 
me  by  degrees,  and  it  came  to  the  citizens  of  Bridgeport 


AT  HOME.  257 

suddenly.  The  terms  upon  which  I  first  engaged  the 
lad  showed  that  I  had  no  over-sanguine  expectations  of 
his  success  as  a  "  speculation."  When  I  saw,  however, 
that  he  was  wonderfully  popular,  I  took  the  greatest 
pains  to  engraft  upon  his  native  talent  all  the  instruction 
he  was  capable  of  receiving.  He  was  an  apt  pupil,  and 
I  provided  for  him  the  best  of  teachers.  Travel  and 
attrition  with  so  many  people  in  so  many  lands  did  the 
rest.  The  General  left  America  three  years  before,  a 
diffident,  uncultivated  little  boy ;  he  came  back  an  edu 
cated,  accomplished  little  man.  He  had  seen  much, 
and  had  profited  much.  He  went  abroad  poor,  and  he 
came  home  rich. 

On  January  1,  1845,  my  engagement  with  the 
General  at  a  salary  ceased,  and  we  made  a  new 
arrangement  by  which  we  were  equal  partners,  the 
General,  or  his  father  for  him,  taking  one-half  of 
the  profits.  A  reservation,  however,  was  made  of  the 
first  four  weeks  after  our  arrival  in  New  York,  during 
which  he  was  to  exhibit  at  my  Museum  for  two 
hundred  dollars.  When  we  returned  to  America,  the 
General's  father  had  acquired  a  handsome  fortune,  and 
settling  a  large  sum  upon  the  little  General  personally, 
he  placed  the  balance  at  interest,  secured  by  bond 
and  mortgage,  excepting  thirty  thousand  dollars,  with 
which  he  purchased  land  near  the  city  limits  of  Bridge 
port,  and  erected  a  large  and  substantial  mansion, 
where  he  resided  till  the  day  of  his  death,  and 
in  which  his  only  two  daughters  were  married,  one 
in  1850,  the  other  in  1853.  His  only  son,  besides  the 
General,  was  born  in  1851.  All  the  family,  except 
"  little  Charlie,"  are  of  the  usual  size. 

After  spending  a  month  in  visiting  his  friends,  it  was 


258  AT  HOME. 

determined  that  the  General  and  his  parents  should 
travel  through  the  United  States.  I  agreed  to  accom 
pany  them,  with  occasional  intervals  of  rest  at  home, 
for  one  year,  sharing  the  profits  equally,  as  in  England. 
We  proceeded  to  Washington  city,  where  the  General 
held  his  levees  in  April,  1847,  visiting  President  Polk 
and  lady  at  the  White  House  —  thence  to  Rich 
mond,  returning  to  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia.  Our 
receipts  in  Philadelphia  in  twelve  days  were  $5,594.91. 
The  tour  for  the  entire  year  realized  about  the  same 
average.  The  expenses  were  from  twenty-five  dollars 
to  thirty  dollars  per  day.  From  Philadelphia  we  went 
to  Boston,  Lowell,  and  Providence.  Our  receipts  on 
one  day  in  the  latter  city  were  $976.97.  We  then 
visited  New  Bedford,  Fall  River,  Salem,  Worcester, 
Springfield,  Albany,  Troy,  Niagara  Falls,  Buffalo,  and 
intermediate  places,  and  in  returning  to  New  York  we 
stopped  at  the  principal  towns  on  the  Hudson  River, 
After  this  we  visited  New  Haven,  Hartford,  Portland, 
Me.,  and  intermediate  towns. 

I  was  surprised  to  find  that,  during  my  long  absence 
abroad,  I  had  become  almost  as  much  of  a  curiosity  to  my 
patrons  as  I  was  to  the  spinster  from  Maine  who  once 
came  to  see  me  and  to  attend  the  "  services "  in  my 
Lecture  Room.  If  I  showed  myself  about  the  Museum 
or  wherever  else  I  was  known,  I  found  eyes  peering 
and  fingers  pointing  at  me,  and  could  frequently  over 
hear  the  remark,  "  There's  Barnum."  On  one  occasion 
soon  after  my  return,  I  was  sitting  in  the  ticket-office 
reading  a  newspaper.  A  man  came  and  purchased  a. 
ticket  of  admission.  "  Is  Mr.  Barnum  in  the  Museum  ?" 
he  asked.  The  ticket-seller,  pointing  *to  me,  answered, 
"  This  is  Mr.  Barnum."  Supposing  th^  gentleman  had 


AT  HOME.  259 

business  with  me,  I  looked  up  from  the  paper.  "Is 
this  Mr.  Barnum  I  "  he  asked.  "  It  is,"  I  replied.  He 
stared  at  me  for  a  moment,  and  then,  throwing  down 
his  ticket,  exclaimed,  "  It's  all  right ;  I  have  got  the 
worth  of  my  money " ;  and  away  he  went,  without 
going  into  the  Museum  at  all ! 

In  November,  1847,  we  started  for  Havana,  taking 
the  steamer  from  New  York  to  Charleston,  where  the 
General  exhibited,  as  well  as  at  Columbia,  Augusta, 
Savannah,  Milledgeville,  Macon,  Columbus,  Montgom 
ery,  Mobile  and  New  Orleans.  At  this  latter  city  we 
remained  three  weeks,  including  Christmas  and  New 
Year's.  We  arrived  in  Havana  by  the  schooner  Adams 
Gray,  in  January,  1848,  and  were  introduced  to  the  Cap 
tain-General  and  the  Spanish  nobility.  We  remained  a 
month  in  Havana  and  Matanzas,  the  General  proving 
an  immense  favorite.  In  Havana  he  was  the  especial 
pet  of  Count  Santovania.  In  Matanzas  we  were  very 
much  indebted  to  the  kindness  of  a  princely  American 
merchant,  Mr.  Brinckerhoff.  Mr.  J.  S.  Thrasher,  the 
American  patriot  and  gentleman,  was  also  of  great  assist 
ance  to  us,  and  placed  me  under  deep  obligations. 

The  hotels  in  Havana  are  not  good.  An  American 
who  is  accustomed  to  substantial  living,  finds  it  difficult 
to  get  enough  to  eat.  We  stopped  at  the  Washington 
House,  which  at  that  time  was  "  first-rate  bad."  It  was 
filthy,  and  kept  by  a  woman  who  was  drunk  most  of 
^  the  time.  Several  Americans  boarded  there  who  were 
"tegular  gormandizers.  One  of  them,  seeing  a  live  tur 
key  on  a  New  Orleans  vessel,  purchased  and  presented 
it  to  the  landlady.  It  was  a  small  one,  and  when  it 
was  carved,  there  was  not  enough  of  it  to  "  go  round." 
An  American,  (a  large  six-footer  and  a  tremendous 


260  AT  HOME. 

eater,)  who  resided  on  a  sugar  plantation  near  Havana, 
happened  to  sit  near  the  carver,  and  seeing  an  Amer 
ican  turkey  so  near  him,  and  feeling  that  it  was  a  rare 
dish  for  that  latitude,  kept  helping  himself,  so  that 
when  the  carving  was  finished,  he  had  eaten  about  one 
half  of  the  turkey.  Unfortunately  the  man  who  bought 
it  was  sitting  at  the  further  end  of  the  table,  and  did 
not  get  a  taste  of  the  coveted  bird.  He  was  indig 
nant,  especially  against  the  innocent  gormandizer  from 
the  sugar  plantation,  who,  of  course,  was  not  acquainted 
with  the  history  of  the  turkey.  When  they  arose  from 
the  table,  the  planter  smacked  his  lips,  and  patting 
his  stomach,  remarked,  "  That  was  a  glorious  turkey. 
I  have  not  tasted  one  before  these  two  years.  I  am  very 
fond  of  them,  and  when  I  go  back  to  my  plantation  I 
mean  to  commence  raising  turkeys." 

"  If  you  do  n't  raise  one  before  you  leave  town,  you'll 
be  a  dead  man,"  said  the  disappointed  poultry  pur 
chaser. 

From  Havana  we  went  to  New  Orleans,  wnere  we 
remained  several  days,  and  from  New  Orleans  we  pro 
ceeded  to  St.  Louis,  stopping  at  the  principal  towns  on 
me  Mississippi  river,  and  returning  via  Louisville,  Cin 
cinnati,  and  Pittsburgh.  We  reached  the  latter  city 
<^arly  in  May,  Ib48.  From  this  point  it  was  agreed 
between  Mr.  Stratum  and  myself,  that  I  should  go 
home  and  henceforth  travel  no  more  with  the  little  Gen 
eral.  I  had  competent  agents  who  could  exhibit  him 
without  my  personal  assistance,  and  I  preferred  to 
relinquish  a  portion  of  the  profits,  rather  than  continue 
to  be  a  travelling  showman.  I  had  now  been  a  strag 
gler  from  home  most  of  the  time  for  thirteen  years,  and 
I  cannot  describe  the  feelings  of  gratitude  with  which  I 


AT  HOME.  261 

reflected,  that  having  by  the  most  arduous  toil  and  depri 
vations  succeeded  in  securing  a  satisfactory  compe 
tence,  I  should  henceforth  spend  my  days  in  the  bosom 
of  my  family.  I  was  fully  determined  that  no  pecu 
niary  temptation  should  again  induce  me  to  forego  the 
enjoyments  to  be  secured  only  in  the  circle  of  home.  I 
reached  my  residence  in  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  in  the 
latter  part  of  May,  rejoiced  to  find  my  family  and  friends 
in  good  health,  and  delighted  to  find  myself  once  more 
at  home. 

My  new  home,  which  was  then  nearly  ready  for  occu 
pancy,  was  the  well-known  Iranistan.  More  than  two 
years  had  been  employed  in  building  this  beautiful 
residence.  In  1846,  finding  that  fortune  was  con 
tinuing  to  favor  me,  I  began  to  look  forward  eagerly  to 
the  time  when  I  could  withdraw  from  the  whirlpool  of 
business  excitement  and  settle  down  permanently  with 
my  family,  to  pass  the  remainder  of  my  days  in  compar 
ative  rest. 

I  wished  to  reside  within  a  few  hours  of  New  York. 
I  had  never  seen  more  delightful  locations  than  there 
are  upon  the  borders  of  Long  Island  Sound,  between 
New  Rochelle,  New  York,  and  New  Haven,  Connecti 
cut;  and  my  attention  was  therefore  turned  in  that 
direction.  Bridgeport  seemed  to  be  about  the  proper 
distance  from  the  great  metropolis.  It  is  pleasantly  sit 
uated  at  the  terminus  of  two  railroads,  which  trav 
erse  the  fertile  valleys  of  the  Naugatuck  and  Hou- 
satonic  rivers.  The  New  York  and  New  Haven  Railroad 
runs  through  the  city,  and  there  is  also  daily  steamboat 
communication  with  New  York.  The  enterprise  which 
characterized  the  city,  seemed  to  mark  it  as  destined  to 
become  the  first  in  the  State  in  size  and  opulence ;  and 


262  AT  HOME. 

I  was  not  long  in  deciding,  with  the  concurrence  of  mv 
wife,  to  fix  our  future  residence  in  that  vicinity. 

I  accordingly  purchased  seventeen  acres  of  land,  less 
than  a  mile  west  of  the  city,  and  fronting  with  a  good 
view  upon  the  Sound.  Although  nominally  in  Bridge 
port,  my  property  was  really  in  Fairfield,  a  few  rods 
west  of  the  Bridgeport  line.  In  deciding  upon  the  kind 
of  house  to  be  erected,  I  determined,  first  and  foremost, 
to  consult  convenience  and  comfort.  I  cared  little  for 
style,  and  my  wife  cared  still  less  ;  but  as  we  meant  to 
have  a  good  house,  it  might  as  well,  at  the  same  time, 
be  unique.  In  this,  I  confess,  I  had  "  an  eye  to 
business,"  for  I  thought  that  a  pile  of  buildings  of  a 
novel  order  might  indirectly  serve  as  an  advertisement 
of  my  Museum. 

In  visiting  Brighton,  in  England,  I  had  been  greatly 
pleased  with  the  Pavilion  erected  by  George  IV.  It 
was  the  only  specimen  of  Oriental  architecture  in 
England,  and  the  style  had  not  been  introduced  into 
America.  I  concluded  to  adopt  it,  and  engaged  a  Lon 
don  architect  to  furnish  me  a  set  of  drawings  after  the 
general  plan  of  the  Pavilion,  differing  sufficiently  to  be 
adapted  to  the  spot  of  ground  selected  for  my  home 
stead.  On  my  second  return  visit  to  the  United  States, 
I  brought  these  drawings  with  me  and  engaged  a  com 
petent  architect  and  builder,  giving  him  instructions  to 
proceed  with  the  work,  not  "  by  the  job  "  but  "  by  the 
day,"  and  to  spare  neither  time  nor  expense  in  erecting 
a  comfortable,  convenient,  and  tasteful  residence.  The 
work  was  thus  begun  and  continued  while  I  was  still 
abroad,  and  during  the  time  when  I  was  making  my 
tour  with  General  Tom  Thumb  through  the  United 
States  and  Cuba.  New  and  magnificent  avenues 


m&m 


AT  HOME.  263 

opened  in  the  vicinity  of  my  property.  The  building 
progressed  slowly,  but  surely  and  substantially.  Ele 
gant  and  appropriate  furniture  was  made  expressly  for 
every  room  in  the  house.  I  erected  expensive  water 
works  to  supply  the  premises.  The  stables,  conserva 
tories  and  out-buildings  were  perfect  in  their  kind. 
There  was  a  profusion  of  trees  set  out  on  the  grounds. 
The  whole  was  built  and  established  literally  "  regard 
less  of  expense,"  for  I  had  no  desire  even  to  ascertain 
the  entire  cost.  All  I  cared  to  know  was  that  it  suited 
me,  and  that  would  have  been  a  small  consideration 
with  me  if  it  had  not  also  suited  my  family. 

The  whole  was  finally  completed  to  my  satisfaction. 
My  family  removed  into  the  premises,  and,  on  the  four 
teenth  of  November,  1848,  nearly  one  thousand  invited 
guests,  including  the  poor  and  the  rich,  helped  us  in  the 
old-fashioned  custom  of  "  house-warming." 

When  the  name  "  Iranistan  "  was  announced,  a  wag 
gish  New  York  editor  syllabled  it,  I-ran-i-stan,  and  gave 
as  the  interpretation,  that  "  I  ran  a  long  time  before  I 
could  stan' ! "  Literally,  however,  the  name  signifies, 
"  Eastern  Country  Place,"  or,  more  poetically,  "Ori 
ental  Villa." 

The  plot  of  ground  upon  which  Iranistan  was  erected, 
was  at  the  date  of  my  purchase,  in  March  1846,  a  bare 
field.  But  I  transplanted  many  hundreds  of  fruit  and 
forest  trees,  some  of  the  latter  of  very  large  growth 
when  they  were  moved,  and  thus  in  a  few  years  iny 
premises  were  adorned  with  what,  in  the  ordinary  pro 
cess  of  growth,  would  have  required  a  whole  generation. 
I  have  never  waited  for  my  trees  to  grow,  if  money 
would  transplant  them  of  nearly  full  growth  at  the  start. 

The  years  1848  and    184:9  were  mainly  spent   with 


264  AT  HOME. 

my  family,  though  I  went  every  week  to  New  York  to 
look  after  the  interests  of  the  American  Museum. 
While  I  was  in  Europe,  in  1845,  my  agent,  Mr.  Fordyce 
Hitchcock,  had  bought  out  for  me  the  Baltimore 
Museum,  a  fully-supplied  establishment,  in  full  opera 
tion,  and  I  placed  it  under  the  charge  of  my  uncle, 
Alanson  Taylor.  He  died  in  1846,  and  I  then  sold 
the  Baltimore  Museum  to  the  "  Orphean  Family,"  by 
whom  it  was  subsequently  transferred  to  Mr.  John  E. 
Owens,  the  celebrated  comedian.  After  my  return 
from  Europe,  I  opened,  in  1849,  a  Museum  in  Dr. 
Swain's  fine  building,  at  the  corner  of  Chestnut  and 
Seventh  streets,  in  Philadelphia. 

This  was  in  all  respects  a  first-class  establishment. 
It  was  elegantly  fitted  up,  and  contained,  among  other 
things,  a  dozen  fine  large  paintings,  such  as  "  The  Del 
uge,"  "  Cain  and  his  Family,"  and  other  similar  subjects 
which  I  had  ordered  copied,  when  I  was  in  Paris,  from 
paintings  in  the  gallery  of  the  Louvre.  There  was  also 
a  complete  and  valuable  collection  of  curiosities  and  I 
sent  from  New  York,  from  time  to  time,  my  transient 
novelties  in  the  way  of  giants,  dwarfs,  fat  boys,  animals 
and  other  attractions.  There  was  a  lecture  room  and 
stage  for  dramatic  entertainments ;  but  I  was  catering 
for  a  Quaker  population,  and  was  careful  to  introduce 
or  permit  nothing  which  could  possibly  be  objectionable. 
While  the  Museum  contained  such  wax-works  as  "  The 
Temperate  Family,"  "  The  Intemperate  Family,"  and 
Mrs.  Pelby's  representation  of  "  The  Last  Supper,"  the 
theatre  presented  "  The  Drunkard  "  and  other  moral 
dramas.  The  most  respectable  people  in  the  city  patron 
ized  the  Museum  and  attended  the  theatre.  "  The 
Drunkard"  was  exceedingly  well  played  and  it  made  a 


AT  HOME.  265 

great  impression.  There  was  a  temperance  pledge  in 
the  box-office,  which  was  signed  by  thousands  during 
the  run  of  the  piece.  Almost  every  hour  during  the 
day  and  evening,  women  could  be  seen  bringing  their 
husbands  to  the  Museum  to  sign  the  pledge. 

I  stayed  in  Philadelphia  long  enough  to  identify  my 
self  with  this  Museum  and  to  successfully  start  the 
enterprise  and  then  left  it  in  the  hands  of  different 
managers  who  profitably  conducted  it  till  1851,  when, 
finding  that  it  occupied  too  much  of  my  time  and  attention, 
I  sold  it  to  Mr.  Clapp  Spooner  for  $40,000.  At  the  end 
of  that  year,  the  building  and  contents  were  destroyed 
by  fire.  The  loss  was  a  serious  one  to  Philadelphia, 
and  the  people  were  very  desirous  that  Mr.  Spooner 
should  rebuild  the  establishment ;  but  a  highly  profita 
ble  business  connection  with  the  Adams  Express  Com 
pany  prevented  him  from  doing  so. 

While  my  Philadelphia  Museum  was  in  full  opera 
tion,  Peale's  Museum  ran  me  a  strong  opposition  at  the 
Masonic  Hall.  That  enterprise  proved  disastrous,  and 
I  purchased  the  collection  at  sheriff's  sale,  for  five  or 
six  thousand  dollars,  on  joint  account  of  my  friend 
Moses  Kimball  and  myself.  The  curiosities  were 
equally  divided,  one-half  going  to  his  Boston  Museum 
and  the  other  half  to  my  American  Museum  in  New 
York. 

In  1848  I  was  elected  President  of  the  Fairfield 
County  Agricultural  Society  in  Connecticut.  Although 
not  practically  a  farmer,  I  had  purchased  about  one 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  my  residence, 
and  felt  and  still  feel  a  deep  interest  in  the  cause  of 
agriculture.  I  had  begun  by  importing  some  blood 
stock  for  Iranistan,  and,  as  I  was  at  one  time  attacked 


266  AT  HOME. 

by  the  "  hen  fever,"  I  erected  several  splendid  poultry- 
houses  on  my  grounds.  These  were  built  for  me  by 
a  carpenter  who  wrote  an  application  for  a  situation, 
sending  me  a  frightfully  mis-spelled  letter,  in  which  he 
said  that  he  was  "  youste  "  to  hard  work.  I  thought  if 
his  work  was  as  strong  as  his  spelling,  he  was  the  man 
I  wanted,  and  I  employed  him.  When  the  time  came 
to  prepare  for  our  agricultural  fair  in  the  fall,  he 
made  a  series  of  gorgeous  cages  in  which  to  exhibit  my 
shanghaes,  bantams,  and  other  fancy  fowls.  I  went 
out  to  see  them  before  they  were  sent  away,  and  was 
horrified  to  find  that  he  had  marked  the  cages  in  his 
own  peculiar  style,  describing  my  "  Jersey  Blues,"  for 
instance,  in  startling  capitals  as  "  Gersy  Blews."  I 
called  for  a  jack-plane  to  remove  every  mark  on  the 
cages  and  told  the  astonished  carpenter  that  he  might 
do  anything  in  the  world  for  me,  except  to  spell. 

In  1849  it  was  determined  by  the  Society  that  I 
should  deliver  the  annual  address.  I  begged  to  be  ex 
cused  on  the  ground  of  incompetency,  but  my  excuses 
were  of  no  avail,  and  as  I  could  not  instruct  my  auditors 
in  farming,  I  gave  them  the  benefit  of  several  mistakes 
which  I  had  committed.  Among  other  things,  I  told 
them  that  in  the  fall  of  1848  my  head  gardener  reported 
that  I  had  fifty  bushels  of  potatoes  to  spare.  I  there 
upon  directed  him  to  barrel  them  up  and  ship  them  to 
New  York  for  sale.  He  did  so,  and  received  two  dol 
lars  per  barrel,  or  about  sixty-seven  cents  per  bushel. 
But,  unfortunately,  after  the  potatoes  had  been  shipped, 
I  found  that  my  gardener  had  selected  all  the  largest  for 
market,  and  left  my  family  nothing  but  "  small  potatoes  " 
to  live  on  during  the  winter.  But  the  worst  is  still  to 
come.  My  potatoes  were  all  gone  before  March,  and  I 


AT  HOME.  267 

was  obliged  to  buy,  during  the  spring,  over  fifty  bushels 
of  potatoes,  at  f  1.25  per  bushel !  I  also  related  my  first 
experiment  in  the  arboricultural  line,  when  I  cut  from 
two  thrifty  rows  of  young  cherry-trees  any  quantity  of 
what  I  supposed  to  be  "  suckers,"  or  "  sprouts,"  and 
was  thereafter  informed  by  my  gardener  that  I  had  cut 
off  all  his  grafts  ! 

A  friend  of  mine,  Mr.  James  D.  Johnson,  lived  in  a 
fine  house  a  quarter  of  a  mile  west  of  Iranistan,  and  as 
I  owned  several  acres  of  land  at  the  corner  of  two  streets 
directly  adjoining  his  homestead,  I  surrounded  the  ground 
with  high  pickets,  and  introducing  a  number  of  Rocky 
Mountain  elk,  reindeer,  and  American  deer,  I  converted 
it  into  a  deer  park.  Strangers  passing  by  would  natu 
rally  suppose  that  it  belonged  to  Johnson's  estate,  and 
to  render  the  illusion  more  complete,  his  son-in-law, 
Mr.  S.  H.  Wales,  of  the  Scientific  American,  placed  a 
sign  in  the  park,  fronting  on  the  street,  and  reading : 

"  ALL  PERSONS  ARE  FORBID  TRESPASSING  ON  THESE 
GROUNDS,  OR  DISTURBING  THE  DEER.  J.  D.  JoHNSON." 

I  "  acknowledged  the  corn,"  and  was  much  pleased 
with  the  joke.  Johnson  was  delighted,  and  bragged 
considerably  of  having  got  ahead  of  Barnum,  and  the 
sign  remained  undisturbed  for  several  days.  It  happened 
at  length  that  a  party  of  friends  came  to  visit  him  from 
New  York,  arriving  in  the  evening.  Johnson  told  them 
he  had  got  a  capital  joke  on  Barnum ;  he  would  not  ex 
plain,  but  said  they  should  see  it  for  themselves  the  next 
morning.  Bright  and  early  he  led  them  into  the  street, 
and  after  conducting  them  a  proper  distance,  wheeled 
them  around  in  front  of  the  sign.  To  his  dismay  he 
discovered  that  I  had  added  directly  under  his  name  the 


268  AT  HOME. 

words,  "  Game-keeper  to  P.  T.  Barnum"  His  friends, 
as  soon  as  they  understood  the  joke,  enjoyed  it  mightily, 
but  it  was  said  that  neighbor  Johnson  laughed  out  of 
"  the  wrong  side  of  his  mouth." 

Thereafter,  Mr.  Johnson  was  known  among  his 
friends  and  acquaintances  as  "  Barnum's  game-keeper." 
Sometime  afterwards  when  I  was  President  of  the 
Pequonnock  Bank,  it  was  my  custom  every  year  to  give 
a  grand  dinner  at  Iranistan  to  the  directors,  and  in 
making  preparations  I  used  to  send  to  certain  friends 
in  the  West  for  prairie  chickens  and  other  game.  On 
one  occasion  a  large  box,  marked  "  P.  T.  Barnum, 
Bridgeport ;  Game,"  was  lying  in  the  express  office,  when 
Johnson  seeing  it,  and  espying  the  word  "  game,"  said : 

"  Look  here  !  I  am  '  Barnum's  game-keeper,'  and  I'll 
take  charge  of  this  box." 

And  "  take  charge "  of  it  he  did,  carrying  it  home 
and  notifying  me  that  it  was  in  his  possession,  and  that 
as  he  was  my  game-keeper  he  would  "  keep "  this, 
unless  I  sent  him  an  order  for  a  new  hat.  He  knew 
very  well  that  I  would  give  fifty  dollars  rather  than  be 
deprived  of  the  box,  and  as  he  also  threatened  to  give 
a  game  dinner  at  his  own  house,  I  speedily  sent  the 
order  for  the  hat,  acknowledged  the  good  joke,  and  my 
own  guests  enjoyed  the  double  "  game." 

During  the  year  1848,  Mr.  Frank  Leslie,  since  so 
widely  known  as  the  publisher  of  several  illustrated 
journals,  came  to  me  with  letters  of  introduction  from 
London,  and  I  employed  him  to  get  up  for  me  an  illus 
trated  catalogue  of  my  Museum.  This  he  did  in  a 
splendid  manner,  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  copies 
were  sold  and  distributed  far  and  near,  thus  adding 
greatly  to  the  renown  of  the  establishment. 


AT  HOME.  269 

I  count  these  two  years —  1848  and  1849 — among 
the  happiest  of  my  life.  I  had  enough  to  do  in  the 
management  of  my  business,  and  yet  I  seemed  to  have 
plenty  of  leisure  hours  to  pass  with  my  family  and 
friends  in  my  beautiful  home  of  Iranistan. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

THE    JENNY    LIND  ENTERPRISE. 

GRAND  SCHEME  —  CONGRESS  OF  ALL  NATIONS — A  BOLD  AND  BRILLIANT  ENTER 
PRISE —  THE  JENNY  LIND  ENGAGEMENT  —  MY  AGENT  IN  EUROPE  —  HIS 
INSTRUCTIONS — .CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  MISS  LIND  —  BENEDICT  AND  BEL- 
LETTI  —  JOSHUA  BATES  —  CHEVALIER  WYCKOFF  —  THE  CONTRACT  SIGNED  — 
MY  RECEPTION  OF  THE  NEWS  —  THE  ENTIRE  SUM  OF  MONEY  FOR  THE 
ENGAGEMENT  SENT  TO  LONDON  —  MY  FIRST  LIND  LETTER  TO  THE  PUBLIC  — 
A  POOR  PORTRAIT  —  MUSICAL  NOTES  IN  WALL  STREET  —  A  FRIEND  IN 
NEED. 

MANY  of  my  most  fortunate  enterprises  have  fairly 
startled  me  by  the  magnitude  of  their  success.  When 
my  sanguine  hopes  predicted  a  steady  flow  of  fortune, 
I  have  been  inundated ;  when  I  calculated  upon  mak 
ing  a  curious  public  pay  me  liberally  for  a  meritorious 
article,  I  have  often  found  the  same  public  eager  to 
deluge  me  with  compensation.  Yet,  I  never  believed 
in  mere  luck  and  I  always  pitied  the  simpleton  who 
relies  on  luck  for  his  success.  Luck  is  in  no  sense  the 
foundation  of  my  fortune ;  from  the  beginning  of  my 
career  I  planned  and  worked  for  my  success.  To  be 
sure,  my  schemes  often  amazed  me  with  the  affluence 
of  their  results,  and,  arriving  at  the  very  best,  I  some 
times  "  builded  better  than"  I  "  knew." 

For  a  long  time  I  had  been  incubating  a  plan  for  an 
extraordinary  exhibition  which  I  was  sure  would  be  a 
success  and  would  excite  universal  attention  and  com 
mendation  in  America  and  abroad.  This  was  nothing 


THE  JENNY  LIND  ENTERPRISE.  271 

less  than  a  "  Congress  of  Nations  "  —  an  assemblage  of 
representatives  of  all  the  nations  that  could  be  reached 
by  land  or  sea.  I  meant  to  secure  a  man  and  woman, 
as  perfect  as  could  be  procured,  from  every  accessible 
people,  civilized  and  barbarous,  on  the  face  of  the 
globe.  I  had  actually  contracted  with  an  agent  to  go 
to  Europe  to  make  arrangements  to  secure  "  specimens  " 
for  such  a  show.  Even  now,  I  can  conceive  of  no 
exhibition  which  would  be  more  interesting  and  which 
would  appeal  more  generally  to  all  classes  of  patrons. 
As  it  was,  and  while  positively  preparing  for  such  a 
congress,  it  occurred  to  me  that  another  great  enterprise 
could  be  undertaken  at  less  risk,  with  far  less  real 
trouble,  and  with  more  remunerative  results. 

And  now  I  come  to  speak  of  an  undertaking  which 
my  worst  enemy  will  admit  was  bold  in  its  conception, 
complete  in  its  development,  and  astounding  in  its  suc 
cess.  It  was  an  enterprise  never  before  or  since 
equalled  in  managerial  annals.  As  I  recall  it  now,  I 
almost  tremble  at  the  seeming  temerity  of  the  attempt. 
That  I  am  proud  of  it  I  freely  confess.  It  placed  me 
before  the  world  in  a  new  light ;  it  gained  me  many 
warm  friends  in  new  circles ;  it  was  in  itself  a  fortune 
to  me  —  I  risked  much  but  I  made  more. 

It  was  in  October  1849,  that  I  conceived  the  idea  of 
bringing  Jenny  Lind  to  this  country.  I  had  never  heard 
her  sing,  inasmuch  as  she  arrived  in  London  a  few  weeks 
after  I  left  that  city  with  General  Tom  Thumb.  Her 
reputation,  however,  was  sufficient  for  me.  I  usually 
jump  at  conclusions,  and  almost  invariably  find  that  my 
first  impressions  are  correct.  It  struck  me,  when  I  first 
thought  of  this  speculation,  that  if  properly  managed  it 
must  prove  immensely  profitable,  provided  I  could 


272  THE  JENNY  LIND  ENTEEPEISE. 

engage  the  "  Swedish  Nightingale"  on  any  terms  within 
the  range  of  reason.  As  it  was  a  great  undertaking,  I 
considered  the  matter  seriously  for  several  days,  and  all 
my  "  cipherings "  and  calculations  gave  but  one  result 
—  immense  success. 

Reflecting  that  very  much  would  depend  upon  the 
manner  in  which  she  should  be  brought  before  the 
public,  I  saw  that  my  task  would  be  an  exceedingly 
arduous  one.  It  was  possible,  I  knew,  that  circum 
stances  might  occur  which  would  make  the  enterprise 
disastrous.  "  The  public  "  is  a  very  strange  animal,  and 
although  a  good  knowledge  of  human  nature  will  gen 
erally  lead  a  caterer  of  amusements  to  hit  the  people, 
*hey  are  fickle,  and  ofttimes  perverse.  A  slight  misstep 
in  the  management  of  a  public  entertainment,  frequently 
wrecks  the  most  promising  enterprise.  But  I  had 
marked  the  "  divine  Jenny "  as  a  sure  card,  and  to 
secure  the  prize  I  began  to  cast  about  for  a  competent 
ngent. 

I  found  in  Mr.  John  Hall  Wilton,  an  Englishman 
who  had  visited  this  country  with  the  Sax-Horn  Players, 
^he  best  man  whom  I  knew  for  that  purpose.  A  few 
minutes  sufficed  to  make  the  arrangement  with  him,  by 
which  I  was  to  pay  but  little  more  than  his  expenses  if 
he  failed  in  his  mission,  but  by  which  also  he  was  to  be 
paid  a  large  sum  if  he  succeeded  in  bringing  Jenny 
Lind  to  our  shores,  on  any  terms  within  a  liberal 
schedule  which  I  set  forth  to  him  in  writing. 

On  the  6th  of  November,  1849,  I  furnished  Wilton 
ivith  the  necessary  documents,  including  a  letter  of 
general  instructions  which  he  was  at  liberty  to  exhibit 
to  Jenny  Lind  and  to  any  other  musical  notables  whom 
he  thought  proper,  and  a  private  letter,  containing  hints 


THE  JENNY  LIND  ENTERPRISE.  273 

and  suggestions  not  embodied  in  the  former.  I  also 
gave  him  letters  of  introduction  to  my  bankers,  Messrs. 
Baring  Brothers  &  Co.,  of  London,  as  well  as  to  many 
friends  in  England  and  France. 

The  sum  of  all  my  instructions,  public  and  private, 
to  Wilton  amounted  to  this :  He  was  to  engage  her  on 
shares,  if  possible.  I,  however,  authorized  him  to 
engage  her  at  any  rate,  not  exceeding  one  thousand 
dollars  a  night,  for  any  number  of  nights  up  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty,  with  all  her  expenses,  including 
servants,  carriages,  secretary,  etc.,  besides  also  engaging 
such  musical  assistants,  not  exceeding  three  in  number, 
as  she  should  select,  let  the  terms  be  what  they  might. 
If  necessary,  I  should  place  the  entire  amount  of  money 
named  in  the  engagement  in  the  hands  of  London 
bankers  before  she  sailed.  Wilton's  compensation  was 
arranged  on  a  kind  of  sliding  scale,  to  be  governed  by 
the  terms  which  he  made  for  me  —  so  that  the  farther 
he  kept  below  my  utmost  limits,  the  better  he  should  be 
paid  for  making  the  engagements.  He  proceeded  to 
London,  and  opened  a  correspondence  with  Miss  Lind, 
who  was  then  on  the  Continent.  He  learned  from  the 
tenor  of  her  letters,  that  if  she  could  be  induced  to 
visit  America  at  all,  she  must  be  accompanied  by 
Mr.  Julius  Benedict,  the  accomplished  composer,  pianist, 
and  musical  director,  and  also  she  was  impressed  with 
the  belief  that  Signor  Belletti,  the  fine  baritone,  would 
be  of  essential  service.  Wilton  therefore  at  once  called 
upon  Mr.  Benedict  and  also  Signor  Belletti,  who  were 
both  then  in  London,  and  in  numerous  interviews  was 
enabled  to  learn  the  terms  on  which  they  would  consent 
to  engage  to  visit  this  country  with  Miss  Lind.  Having 
obtained  the  information  desired,  he  proceeded  to 


274         .  THE   JENNY   LIND   ENTERPRISE. 

Lubeck,  in  Germany,  to  seek  an  interview  with  Miss 
Lind  herself.  Upon  arriving  at  her  hotel,  he  sent  his 
card,  requesting  her  to  specify  an  hour  for  an  interview. 
She  named  the  following  morning,  and  he  was  punctual 
to  the  appointment. 

In  the  course  of  the  first  conversation,  she  frankly 
told  him  that  during  the  time  occupied  by  their  cor 
respondence,  she  had  written  to  friends  in  London, 
including  my  friend  Mr.  Joshua  Bates,  of  the  house 
of  Baring  Brothers,  and  had  informed  herself  respect 
ing  my  character,  capacity,  and  responsibility,  which  she 
assured  him  were  quite  satisfactory.  She  informed 
him,  however,  that  at  that  time  there  were  four  per 
sons  anxious  to  negotiate  with  her  for  an  American  tour. 
One  of  these  gentlemen  was  a  well-known  opera  man 
ager  in  London ;  another,  a  theatrical  manager  in  Man 
chester  ;  a  third,  a  musical  composer  and  conductor  of  the 
orchestra  of  Her  Majesty's  Opera  in  London ;  and  the 
fourth,  Chevalier  Wyckoff,  a  person  who  had  conducted 
a  successful  speculation  some  years  previously  by  visit 
ing  America  in  charge  of  the  celebrated  danseuse, 
Fanny  Ellsler.  Several  of  these  parties  had  called  upon 
her  personally,  and  Wyckoff  upon  hearing  my  name, 
attempted  to  deter  her  from  making  any  engagement 
with  me,  by  assuring  her  that  I  was  a  mere  showman, 
and  that,  for  the  sake  of  making  money  by  the  spec 
ulation,  I  would  not  scruple  to  put  her  into  a  box 
and  exhibit  her  through  the  country  at  twenty-five 
cents  a  head. 

This,  she  confessed,  somewhat  alarmed  her,  and  she 
wrote  to  Mr.  Bates  on  the  subject.  He  entirely  dis 
abused  her  mind,  by  assuring  her  that  he  knew  me 
personally,  and  that  in  treating  with  me  she  was  not 


THE  JENNY  LIND  ENTERPRISE.  275 

dealing  with  an  "  adventurer "  who  might  make  her 
remuneration  depend  entirely  upon  the  success  of  the 
enterprise,  but  I  was  able  to  carry  out  all  my  engage 
ments,  let  them  prove  never  so  unprofitable,  and  she 
could  place  the  fullest  reliance  upon  my  honor  and 
integrity. 

"Now,"  said  she  to  Mr.  Wilton,  "I  am  perfectly 
satisfied  on  that  point,  for  I  know  the  world  pretty  well, 
and  am  aware  how  far  jealousy  and  envy  will  some 
times  carry  persons ;  and  as  those  who  are  trying  to 
treat  with  me  are  all  anxious  that  I  should  participate 
in  the  profits  or  losses  of  the  enterprise,  I  much  pre 
fer  treating  with  you ,  since  your  principal  is  willing  to 
assume  all  the  responsibility,  and  take  the  entire  man 
agement  and  chances  of  the  result  upon  himself." 

Several  interviews  ensued,  during  which  she  learned 
from  Wilton  that  he  had  settled  with  Messrs.  Benedict 
and  Belletti,  in  regard  to  the  amount  of  their  salaries, 
provided  the,  engagement  was  concluded,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  week,  Mr.  Wilton  and  Miss  Lind  had 
arranged  the  terms  and  conditions  on  which  she  was 
ready  to  conclude  the  negotiations.  As  these  terms 
Avere  within  the  limits  fixed  in  my  private  letter  of 
instructions,  the  following  agreement  was  duly  drawn  in 
triplicate,  and  signed  by  herself  and  Wilton,  at  Lubeck, 
January  9,  1850  ;  and  the  signatures  of  Messrs.  Bene 
dict  and  Belletti  were  affixed  in  London  a  few  days 
afterwards : 

MEMORANDUM  of  an  agreement  entered  into  this  ninth  day  of  January,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty,  between  John  Hall 
Wilton,  as  agent  for  PHINEAS  T.  BARNUM,  of  New  York,  in  the  United  States  of 
North  America,  of  the  one  part,  and  Mademoiselle  JENNY  LIND,  Vocalist,  of 
Stockholm  in  Sweden,  of  the  other  part,  wherein  the  said  Jenny  Lind  doth  agree: 

1st.  To  sing  for  the  said  Phineas  T.  Barnum  in  one 
hundred  and  fifty  concerts,  including  oratorios,  within 


276  THE  JENNY  LIND  ENTERPRISE, 

(if  possible)  one  year,  or  eighteen  months  from  the  date 
of  her  arrival  in  the  City  of  New  York  —  the  said  con 
certs  to  be  given  in  the  United  States  of  North  America 
and  Havana.  She,  the  said  Jenny  Lind,  having  full 
control  as  to  the  number  of  nights  or  concerts  in  each 
week,  and  the  number  of  pieces  in  which  she  will  sing 
in  each  concert,  to  be  regulated  conditionally  with  her 
health  and  safety  of  voice,  but  the  foitmer  never  less 
than  one  or  two,  nor  the  latter  less  than  four ;  but  in  no 
case  to  appear  in  operas. 

2d.  In  consideration  of  said  services,  the  said  John 
Hall  Wilton,  as  agent  for  the  said  Phineas  T.  Barnum, 
of  New  York,  agrees  to  furnish  the  said  Jenny  Lind 
with  a  servant  as  waiting-maid,  and  a  male  servant  to 
and  for  the  sole  service  of  her  and  her  party ;  to  pay  the 
travelling  and  hotel  expenses  of  a  friend  to  accompany 
her  as  a  companion ;  to  pay  also  a  secretary  to  superin 
tend  her  finances  ;  to  pay  all  her  and  her  party's  travel 
ling  expenses  from  Europe,  and  during  the  tour  in  the 
United  States  of  North  America  and  Havana ;  to  pay 
all  hotel  expenses  for  board  and  lodging  during  the 
same  period  ;  to  place  at  her  disposal  in  each  city  a  car 
riage  and  horses  with  their  necessary  attendants,  and  to 
give  her  in  addition,  the  sum  of  two  hundred  pounds 
sterling,  dr  one  thousand  dollars,  for  each  concert  or 
oratorio  in  which  the  said  Jenny  Lind  shall  sing. 

3d.  And  the  said  John  Hall  Wilton,  as  agent  for  the 
said  Phineas  T.  Barnum,  doth  further  agree  to  give  the 
said  Jenny  Lind  the  most  satisfactory  security  and  assur 
ance  for  the  full  amount  of  her  engagement,  which  shall 
be  placed  in  the  hands  of  Messrs.  Baring  Brothers,  of 
London,  previous  to  the  departure  and  subject  to  the 

order  of  the  said  Jenny  Lind,  with  its  interest  due  on 
fliiniw  t»ottOj/3io  pfljDWfMfi  <8ji!K>flOT  x^i 


THE  JENNY  LIND  ENTEKPKISE.  277 

its  current  reduction,  by  her  services  in  the  concerts  or 
oratorios. 

4th.  And  the  said  John  Hall  Wilton,  on  the  part  of 
the  said  Phineas  T.  Barnum,  further  agrees,  that  should 
the  said  Phineas  T.  Barnum,  after  seventy-five  concerts, 
have  realized  so  much  as  shall,  after  paying  all  current 
expenses,  have  returned  to  him  all  the  sums  disbursed, 
either  as  deposits  at  interest,  for  securities  of  salaries, 
preliminary  outlay,  or  moneys  in  any  way  expended 
consequent  on  this  engagement,  and  in  addition,  have 
gained  a  clear  profit  of  at  least  fifteen  thousand  pounds 
sterling,  then  the  said  Phineas  T.  Barnum  will  give  the 
said  Jenny  Lind,  in  addition  to  the  former  sum  of  one 
thousand  dollars  current  money  of  the  United  States  of 
North  America,  nightly,  one  fifth  part  of  the  profits 
.arising  from  the  remaining  seventy -five  concerts  or  ora 
torios,  after  deducting  every  expense  current  and 
appertaining  thereto ;  or  the  said  Jenny  Lind  agrees  to 
try  with  the  said  Phineas  T.  Barnum  fifty  concerts  or 
oratorios  on  the  aforesaid  and  first-named  terms,  and  if 
then  found  to  fall  short  of  the  expectations  of  the  said 
Phineas  T.  Barnum,  then  the  said  Jenny  Lind  agrees  to 
reorganize  this  agreement,  on  terms  quoted  in  his  first 
proposal,  as  set  forth  in  the  annexed  copy  of  his  letter  ; 
but  should  such  be  found  unnecessary,  then  the  engage 
ment  continues  up  to  seventy-five  concerts  or  oratorios, 
at  the  end  of  which,  should  the  aforesaid  profit  of  fifteen 
thousand  pounds  sterling  have  not  been  realized,  then 
the  engagement  shall  continue  as  at  first  —  the  sums 
herein,  after  expenses  for  Julius  Benedict  and  Giovanni 
Belletti,  to  remain  unaltered  except  for  advancement. 

5th.  And  the  said  John  Hall  Wilton,  agent  for  the 
said  Phineas  T.  Barnum,  at  the  request  of  the  said 

13* 


278  THE  JENNY  LIND  ENTEBPRISE. 

Jenny  Lind,  agrees  to  pay  to  Julius  Benedict,  of  Lon 
don,  to  accompany  the  said  Jenny  Lind  as  musical  di 
rector,  pianist,  and  superintendent  of  the  musical  depart 
ment,  also  to  assist  the  said  Jenny  Lind  in  one  hundred 
and  fifty  concerts  or  oratorios,  to  be  given  in  the  United 
States  of  North  America  and  Havana,  the  sum  of  five 
thousand  pounds  (£5,000)  sterling,  to  be  satisfactorily 
secured  to  him  with  Messrs.  Baring  Brothers,  of  Lon 
don,  previous  to  his  departure  from  Europe ;  and  the 
said  John  Hall  Wilton  agrees  further,  for  the  said  Phin- 
eas  T.  Barnum,  to  pay  all  his  travelling  expenses  from 
Europe,  together  with  his  hotel  .and  travelling  expenses 
during  the  time  occupied  in  giving  the  aforesaid  one 
hundred  and  fifty  concerts  or  oratorios — he,  the  said 
Julius  Benedict,  to  superintend  the  organization  of  ora 
torios,  if  required. 

6th.  And  the  said  John  Hall  Wilton,  at  the  request, 
selection,  and  for  the  aid  of  the  said  Jenny  Lind,  agrees 
to  pay  to  Giovanni  Belletti,  baritone  vocalist,  to  accom 
pany  the  said  Jenny  Lind  during  her  tour  and  in  one 
hundred  and  fifty  concerts  or  oratorios  in  the  United 
States  of  North  America  and  Havana,  and  in  conjunc 
tion  with  the  aforesaid  Julius  Benedict,  the  sum  of  two 
thousand  five  hundred  pounds  (£2,500)  sterling,  to  be 
satisfactorily  secured  to  him  previous  to  his  departure 
from  Europe,  in  addition  to  all  his  hotel  and  travelling 
expenses. 

7th.  And  it  is  further  agreed  that  the  said  Jenny 
Lind  shall  be  at  full  liberty  to  sing  at  any  time  she  may 
think  fit  for  charitable  institutions  or  purposes  indepen 
dent  of  the  engagement  with  the  said  Phineas  T. 
Barnum,  she,  the  said  Jenny  Lind,  consulting  with  the 
said  Phineas  T.  Barnum  with  a  view  to  mutually  agree- 


THE  JENNY  LIND  ENTERPRISE.  279 

ing  as  to  the  time  and  its  propriety,  it  being  understood 
that  in  no  case  shall  the  first  or  second  concert  in  any 
city  selected  for  the  tour  be  for  such  purpose,  or  where- 
ever  it  shall  appear  against  the  interests  of  the  said 
Phineas  T.  Barnum. 

8th.  It  is  further  agreed  that  should  the  said  Jenny 
Lind  by  any  act  of  God  be  incapacitated  to  fulfil  the 
entire  engagement  before  mentioned,  that  an  equal  pro 
portion  of  the  terms  agreed  upon  shall  be  given  to  the 
said  Jenny  Lind,  Julius  Benedict,  and  Giovanni  Belletti, 
for  services  rendered  to  that  time. 

9th.  It  is  further  agreed  and  understood,  that  the  said 
Phineas  T.  Barnum  shall  pay  every  expense  appertaining 
to  the  concerts  or  oratorios  before  mentioned,  excepting 
those  for  charitable  purposes,  and  that  all  accounts  shall 
be  settled  and  rendered  by  all  parties  weekly. 

10th.  And  the  said  Jenny  Lind  further  agrees  that 
she  will  not  engage  to  sing  for  any  other  person  during 
the  progress  of  this  said  engagement  with  the  said 
Phineas  T.  Barnum,  of  New  York,  for  one  hundred  and 
fifty  concerts  or  oratorios,  excepting  for  charitable 
purposes  as  before  mentioned ;  and  all  travelling  to  be 
first  and  best  class. 

In  witness  hereof  to  the  within  written  memorandum 
of  agreement  we  set  hereunto  our  hand  and  seal. 

[L.  S.]     JOHN  HALL  WILTON,  Agent  for  PHINEAS  T, 

BARNUM,  of  New  York,  U.  S. 
[L.  S.]     JENNY  LIND. 

[L.  S.]     JULIUS  BENEDICT. 
[L.  S.]     GIOVANNI  BELLETTI. 

In    the    presence    of   C.    ACHILLING,    Consul   of    His 
Majesty  the  King  of  Sweden  and  Norway- 


280  THE  JENNY  LIND  ENTERPRISE. 

Extract  from  a  Letter  addressed  to  John  Hall  Wilton  by 
PHINEAS  T.  BARNUM,  and  referred  to  in  paragraph  No. 

4  of  the  annexed  agreement 
Lies  oil*  10  aJao'ioJni  pilj  janu^fj  iuo<]q-fi  iij .-:' 

NEW  YORK,  November  6,  1849. 
MR.  J.  HALL  WILTON  : 

SIR  :  —  In  reply  to  your  proposal  to  attempt  a  nego 
tiation  with  Mile.  Jenny  Lind  to  visit  the  United  States 
professionally,  I  propose  to  enter  into  an  arrangement 
with  her  to  the  following  effect:  I  will  engage  to  pay 
all  her  expenses  from  Europe,  provide  for  and  pay  for 
one  principal  tenor  and  one  pianist,  their  salaries 
not  exceeding  together  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
per  night ;  to  support  for  her  a  carriage,  two  servants, 
and  a  friend  to  accompany  her  and  superintend  her 
finances.  I  will  furthermore  pay  all  and  every  expense 
appertaining  to  her  appearance  before  the  public,  and 
give  her  half  of  the  gross  receipts  arising  from 
concerts  or  operas.  I  will  engage  to  travel  with  her 
personally  and  attend  to  the  arrangements,  provided  she 
will  undertake  to  give  not  less  than  eighty  nor  more 
than  one  hundred  and  fifty  concerts,  or  nights'  perform 
ances. 

PHINEAS  T.  BARNUM. 

I  certify  the  above  to  be  a  true  extract  from  the  letter. 

J    H.  WILTON. 

I  was  at  my  Museum  in  Philadelphia  when  Wilton 
arrived  in  New  York,  February  19,  1850.  He  imme 
diately  telegraphed  to  me,  in  the  cipher  we  had  agreed 
upon,  that  he  had  signed  an  engagement  with  Jenny 
Lind,  by  which  she  was  to  commence  her  concerts  in 
America  in  the  following  September.  I  was  somewhat 

'/liV/'lOirl    UfTfi    f  t '•  f  )*•)'// ''I    to  "£JIH/i    'Hlj    VJS^M'    ' 


THE  JENNY  LIND  ENTERPRISE.  281 

startled  by  this  sudden  announcement ;  and  feeling  that 
the  time  to  elapse  before  her  arrival  was  so  long  that  it 
would  be  policy  to  keep  the  engagement  private  for  a 
faw  months,  I  immediately  telegraphed  him  not  to  men 
tion  it  to  any  person,  and  that  I  would  meet  him  the 
next  day  in  New  York. 

When  we  reflect  how  thoroughly  Jenny  Lind,  her 
musical  poweis,  her  character,  and  wonderful  successes, 
were  subsequently  known  by  all  classes  in  this  country 
as  well  as  throughout  the  civilized  world,  it  is  difficult 
to  realize  that,  at  the  time  this  engagement  was  made, 
she  was  comparatively  unknown  on  this  side  the  water. 
We  can  hardly  credit  the  fact,  that  millions  of  persons 
in  America  had  never  heard  of  her,  that  other  millions 
had  merely  read  her  name,  but  had  no  distinct  idea  of 
who  or  what  she  was.  Only  a  small  portion  of  the 
public  were  really  aware  of  her  great  musical  triumphs 
in  the  Old  World,  and  this  portion  was  confined  almost 
entirely  to  musical  people,  travellers  who  had  visited 
the  Old  World,  and  the  conductors  of  the  press. 

The  next  morning  I  started  for  New  York.  On  arriv 
ing  at  Princeton  we  met  the  New  York  cars,  and  purchas 
ing  the  morning  papers,  I  was  surprised  to  find  in  them 
a  full  account  of  my  engagement  with  Jenny  Lind. 
However,  this  premature  announcement  could  not  be 
recalled,  and  I  put  the  best  face  on  the  matter.  Anxious 
to  learn  how  this  communication  would  strike  the  pub 
lic  mind,  I  informed  the  conductor,  whom  I  well  knew, 
that  I  had  made  an  engagement  with  Jenny  Lind,  and 
that  she  would  surely  visit  this  country  in  the  following 
August. 

"  Jenny  Lind !  Is  she  a  dancer  ?  "  asked  the  con 
ductor. 


282  THE  JENNY  LIND  ENTERPRISE. 

I  informed  him  who  and  what  she  was,  but  his  ques 
tion  had  chilled  me  as  if  his  words  were  ice.  Really, 
thought  I,  if  this  is  all  that  a  man  in  the  capacity  of  a 
railroad  conductor  between  Philadelphia  and  New  York 
knows  of  the  greatest  songstress  in  the  world,  I  am  not 
sure  that  six  months  will  be  too  long  a  time  for  me  to 
occupy  in  enlightening  the  public  in  regard  to  her 
merits. 

I  had  an  interview  with  Wilton,  and  learned  from 
him  that,  in  accordance  with  the  agreement,  it  would  be 
requisite  for  me  to  place  the  entire  amount  stipulated, 
$187,500,  in  the  hands  of  the  London  bankers.  I  at 
once  resolved  to  ratify  the  agreement,  and  immediately 
sent  the  necessary  documents  to  Miss  Lind  and  Messrs. 
Benedict  and  Belletti. 

I  then  began  to  prepare  the  public  mind,  through  the 
newspapers,  for  the  reception  of  the  great  songstress. 
How  effectually  this  was  done,  is  still  within  the  remem 
brance  of  the  American  public.  As  a  sample  of  the 
manner  in  which  I  accomplished  my  purpose,  I  present 
the  following  extract  from  my  first  letter,  which  ap 
peared  in  the  New  York  papers  of  February  22,  1850  : 

"  Perhaps  I  may  not  make  any  money  by  this  enter 
prise  ;  but  I  assure  you  that  if  I  knew  I  should  not 
make  a  farthing  profit,  I  would  ratify  the  engage 
ment,  so  anxious  am  I  that  the  United  States  should 
be  visited  by  a  lady  whose  vocal  powers  have  never 
been  approached  by  any  other  human  being,  and 
whose  character  is  charity,  simplicity,  and  goodness 
personified. 

"  Miss  Lind  has  great  anxiety  to  visit  America.  She 
speaks  of  this  country  and  its  institutions  in  the  highest 
terms  of  praise.  In  her  engagement  with  me  (which 


THE  JENNY  LIND  ENTERPRISE.  283 

includes  Havana),  she  expressly  reserves  the  right  to 
give  charitable  concerts  whenever  she  thinks  proper. 

"  Since  her  debut  in  England,  she  has  given  to  the 
poor  from  her  own  private  purse  more  than  the  whole 
amount  which  I  have  engaged  to  pay  her,  and  the  pro 
ceeds  of  concerts  for  charitable  purposes  in  Great  Brit 
ain,  where  she  has  sung  gratuitously,  have  realized  more 
than  ten  times  that  amount." 

The  people  soon  began  to  talk  about  Jenny  Lind,  and 
I  was  particularly  anxious  to  obtain  a  good  portrait 
of  her.  Fortunately,  a  fine  opportunity  occurred.  One 
day,  while  I  was  sitting  in  the  office  of  the  Museum, 
a  foreigner  approached  me  with  a  small  package  under 
his  arm.  He  informed  me  in  broken  English  that 
he  was  a  Swede,  and  said  he  was  an  artist,  who  had 
just  arrived  from  Stockholm,  where  Jenny  Lind  had 
kindly  given  him  a  number  of  sittings,  and  he  now 
had  with  him  the  portrait  of  her  which  he  had  painted 
upon  copper.  He  unwrapped  the  package,  and 
showed  me  a  beautiful  picture  of  the  Swedish  Night 
ingale,  inclosed  in  an  elegant  gilt  frame,  about  fourteen 
by  twenty  inches.  It  was  just  the  thing  I  wanted  ; 
the  price  was  fifty  dollars,  and  I  purchased  it  at  once. 
Upon  showing  it  to  an  artist  friend  the  same  day,  he 
quietly  assured  me  that  it  was  a  cheap  lithograph 
pasted  on  a  tin  back,  neatly  varnished,  and  made  to 
appear  like  a  fine  oil  painting.  The  intrinsic  value 
of  the  picture  did  not  exceed  thirty-seven  and  one 
half  cents  ! 

After  getting  together  all  my  available  funds  for  the 
purpose  of  transmitting  them  to  London  in  the  shape 
of  United  States  bonds,  I  found  a  considerable  sum  still 
lacking  to  make  up  the  amount.  I  had  some  second 


284  THE  JENNY  LIND  ENTERPRISE. 

mortgages  which  were  perfectly  good,  but  I  could  not 
negotiate  them  in  Wall  Street.  Nothing  would  answer 
there  short  of  first  mortgages  on  New  York  or  Brook 
lyn  city  property. 

I  went  to  the  president  of  the  bank  where  I  had 
done  all  my  business  for  eight  years.  I  offered  him,  as 
security  for  a  loan,  my  second  mortgages,  and  as  an 
additional  inducement,  I  proposed  to  make  over  to  him 
my  contract  with  Jenny  Lind,  with  a  written  guaranty 
that  he  should  appoint  a  receiver,  who,  at  my  expense, 
should  take  charge  of  all  the  receipts  over  and  above 
three  thousand  dollars  per  night,  and  appropriate  them 
towards  the  payment  of  my  loan.  He  laughed  in  my 
face,  and  said  :  "  Mr.  Barnum,  it  is  generally  believed  in 
Wall  Street,  that  your  engagement  with  Jenny  Lind 
will  ruin  you.  I  do  not  think  you  will  ever  receive 
so  much  as  three  thousand  dollars  at  a  single  concert." 
I  was  indignant  at  his  want  of  appreciation,  and 
answered  him  that  I  would  not  at  that  moment  take 
$150,000  for  my  contract;  nor  would  I.  I  found, 
upon  further  inquiry,  that  it  was  useless  in  Wall  Street 
to  offer  the  "Nightingale  "  in  exchange  for  Goldfinches. 
I  finally  was  introduced  to  Mr.  John  L.  Aspinwall,  of 
the  firm  of  Messrs.  Howland  &  Aspinwall,  and  he  gave 
me  a  letter  of  credit  from  his  firm  on  Baring  Brothers, 
for  a  large  sum  on  collateral  securities,  which  a  spirit 
of  genuine  respect  for  my  enterprise  induced  him  to 
accept. 

After  disposing  of  several  pieces  of  property  for 
cash,  I  footed  up  the  various  amounts,  and  still  discov 
ered  myself  five  thousand  dollars  short.  I  felt  that 
it  was  indeed  "  the  last  feather  that  breaks  the  camel's 
back."  Happening  casually  to  state  my  desperate  case 


THE  JENNY  L1ND  ENTERPRISE. 

to  the  Rev.  Abel  C.  Thomas,  of  Philadelphia,  for  many 
years  a  friend  of  mine,  he  promptly  placed  the  requisite 
amount  at  my  disposal.  I  gladly  accepted  his  proffered 
friendship,  and  felt  that  he  had  removed  a  mountain- 
weight  from  my  shoulders. 


^-nA  *jol   omheqob 
:M&  hb$  oj   fcjr//  Sa 


o  o    a  arj  no 

.L-jyil  ivvc/i  oj  (i! 


•  I  i) 

rifwolfoi 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  NEW  YORK. 

FINAL  CONCERTS  IN  LIVERPOOL  —  DEPARTURE  FOR  AMERICA — ARRIVAL  OF* 
STATEN  ISLAND  —  MY  FIRST  INTERVIEW  WITH  JENNY  LIND — THE  TREMEN 
DOUS  THRONG  AT  THE  WHARF  —  TRIUMPHAL  ARCHES —  "WELCOME  TO  AMER 
ICA" —  EXCITEMENT  IN  THE  CITY  —  SERENADE  AT  THE  IRVING  HOUSE  —  THE 
PRIZE  ODE — BAYARD  TAYLOR  THE  PRIZEMAN — "  BARNUM'S  PARNASSUS  "- 
"BARNUMOPSIS" — FIRST  CONCERT  IN  CASTLE  GARDEN  —  A  NEW  AGREEMENT 
—  RECEPTION  OF  JENNY  LIND  —  UNBOUNDED  ENTHUSIASM  —  BARNUM  CALLED 
OUT — JULIUS  BENEDICT  —  THE  SUCCESS  OF  THE  ENTERPRISE  ESTABLISHED  — 
TWO  GRAND  CHARITY  CONCERTS  IN  NEW  YORK  — DATE  OF  THE  FIRST  REGULAR 

CONCERT. 

AFTER  the  engagement  with  Miss  Lind  was  consum 
mated,  she  declined  several  liberal  offers  to  sing  in 
London,  but,  at  my  solicitation,  gave  two  concerts  in 
Liverpool,  on  the  eve  of  her  departure  for  America. 
My  object  in  making  this  request  was,  to  add  the  eclat 
of  that  side  to  the  excitement  on  this  side  of  the  Atlan 
tic,  which  was  already  nearly  up  to  fever  heat. 

The  first  of  the  two  Liverpool  concerts  was  given  the 
night  previous  to  the  departure  of  the  Saturday  steamer 
for  America.  My  agent  had  procured  the  services  of  a 
musical  critic  from  London,  who  finished  his  account  of 
this  concert  at  half  past  one  o'clock  the  following  morn 
ing,  and  at  two  o'clock  my  agent  was  overseeing  its 
insertion  in  a  Liverpool  morning  paper,  numbers  of 
which  he  forwarded  to  me  by  the  steamer  of  the  same 
day.  The  republication  of  the  criticism  in  the  Ameri 
can  papers,  including  an  account  of  the  enthusiasm 
which  attended  and  followed  this  concert,  —  her  trans- 
Atlantic,  —  had  the  desired  effect. 


THE  NIGHTINGALE   IN  NEW  YORK.  287 

On  Wednesday  morning,  August  21,  1850,  Jenny 
Lind  and  Messrs.  Benedict  and  Belletti,  set  sail  from 
Liverpool  in  the  steamship  Atlantic,  in  which  I  had 
long  before  engaged  the  necessary  accommodations,  and 
on  board  of  which  I  had  shipped  a  piano  for  their  use. 
They  were  accompanied  by  my  agent,  Mr.  Wilton,  and 
also  by  Miss  Ahmansen  and  Mr.  Max  Hjortzberg,  cous 
ins  of  Miss  Lind,  the  latter  being  her  Secretary  ;  also  by 
her  two  servants,  and  the  valet  of  Messrs.  Benedict  and 
Belletti. 

It  was  expected  that  the  steamer  would  arrive  on 
Sunday,  September  1,  but,  determined  to  meet  the  song 
stress  on  her  arrival  whenever  it  might  be,  I  went  to 
Staten  Island  on  Saturday,  and  slept  at  the  hospitable 
residence  of  my  friend,  Dr.  A.  Sidney  Doane,  who  was 
at  that  time  the  Health  Officer  of  the  Port  of  New  York. 
A  few  minutes  before  twelve  o'clock,  on  Sunday  morn 
ing,  the  Atlantic  hove  in  sight,  and  immediately  after 
wards,  through  the  kindness  of  my  friend  Doane,  I  was 
on  board  the  ship,  and  had  taken  Jenny  Lind  by  the 
hand. 

After  a  few  moments'  conversation,  she  asked  me 
when  and  where  I  had  heard  her  sing. 

"  I  never  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  before  in  my 
life,"  I  replied. 

"  How  is  it  possible  that  you  dared  risk  so  much 
money  on  a  person  whom  you  never  heard  sing  \  "  she 
asked  in  surprise. 

"  I  risked  it  on  your  reputation,  which  in  musical 
matters  I  would  much  rather  trust  than  my  own  judg 
ment,"  I  replied. 

I  may  as  well  state,  that  although  I  relied  promi 
nently  upon  Jenny  Lind's  reputation  as  a  great  musical 


288  THE  Nl&HTINGALE  IN  NEW  YOEK. 

artiste,  I  also  took  largely  into  my  estimate  of  liei 
success  with  all  classes  of  the  American  public,  her 
character  for  extraordinary  benevolence  and  generosity. 
Without  this  peculiarity  in  her  disposition,  I  never 
would  have  dared  make  the  engagement  which  I  did, 
as  I  felt  sure  that  there  were  multitudes  of  individuals 
in  America  who  would  be  prompted  to  attend  her  con 
certs  by  this  feeling  alone. 

Thousands  of  persons  covered  the  shipping  and  piers, 
and  other  thousands  had  congregated  on  the  wharf  at 
Canal  Street,  to  see  her.  The  wildest  enthusiasm  pre 
vailed  as  the  steamer  approached  the  dock.  So  great 
was  the  rush  on  a  sloop  near  the  steamer's  berth,  that 
one  man,  in  his  zeal  to  obtain  a  good  view,  accidentally 
tumbled  overboard,  amid  the  shouts  of  those  neai 
him.  Miss  Lind  witnessed  this  incident,  and  was  much 
alarmed.  He  was,  however,  soon  rescued,  after  taking  to 
himself  a  cold  duck  instead  of  securing  a  view  of  the 
Nightingale.  A  bower  of  green  trees,  decorated  with 
beautiful  flags,  was  discovered  on  the  wharf,  together 
with  two  triumphal  arches,  on  one  of  which  was  in 
scribed,  "  Welcome,  Jenny  Lind  !  "  The  second  was 
surmounted  by  the  American  eagle,  and  bore  the  inscrip 
tion,  "  Welcome  to  America  !  "  These  decorations  were 
not  produced  by  magic,  and  I  do  not  know  that  I  can  Tea- 
sonably  find  fault  with  those  who  suspected  I  had  a  hand 
in  their  erection.  My  private  carriage  was  in  waiting,  and 
Jenny  Lind  was  escorted  to  it  by  Captain  West.  The 
rest  of  the  musical  party  entered  the  carriage,  and 
mounting  the  box  at  the  driver's  side,  I  directed  him  to 
the  Irving  House.  I  took  that  seat  as  a  legitimate 
advertisement,  and  my  presence  on  the  outside  of  the 
carriage  aided  those  who  filled  the  windows  and  side- 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  NEW  YORK.  289 

walks  along  the  whole  route,  in  coming  to  the  conclu 
sion  that  Jenny  Lind  had  arrived. 

A  reference  to  the  journals  of  that  day  will  show,  that 
never  before  had  there  been  such  enthusiasm  in  the  City 
of  New  York,  or  indeed  in  America.  Within  ten  min 
utes  after  our  arrival  at  the  Irving  House,  not  less  than 
twenty  thousand  persons  had  congregated  around  the 
entrance  in  Broadway,  nor  was  the  number  diminished 
before  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening.  At  her  request,  I 
dined  with  her  that  afternoon,  and  when,  according  to 
European  custom,  she  prepared  to  pledge  me  in  a  glass 
of  wine,  she  was  somewhat  surprised  at  my  saying, 
"  Miss  Lind,  I  do  not  think  you  can  ask  any  other  favor 
on  earth  which  I  would  not  gladly  grant ;  but  I  am  a 
teetotaler,  and  must  beg  to  be  permitted  to  drink  your 
health  and  happiness  in  a  glass  of  cold  water." 

At  twelve  o'clock  that  night,  she  was  serenaded  by 
the  New  York  Musical  Fund  Society,  numbering,  on 
that  occasion,  two  hundred  musicians.  They  were 
escorted  to  the  Irving  House  by  about  three  hundred 
firemen,  in  their  red  shirts,  bearing  torches.  There  was 
a  far  greater  throng  in  the  streets  than  there  was  even 
during  the  day.  The  calls  for  Jenny  Lind  were  so 
vehement  that  I  led  her  through  a  window  to  the 
balcony.  The  loud  cheers  from  the  crowds  lasteS  for 
several  minutes,  before  the  serenade  was  permitted  to 
proceed  again. 

I  have  given  the  merest  sketch  of  but  a  portion  of  the 
incidents  of  Jenny  Lind's  first  day  in  America.  For 
weeks  afterwards  the  excitement  was  unabated.  Her 
rooms  were  thronged  by  visitors,  including  the  magnates 
of  the  land  in  both  Church  and  State.  The  carnages 
of  the  wealthiest  citizens  could  be  seen  in  front  of  her 


290  THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  NEW  YOEK. 

hotel  at  nearly  all  hours  of  the  day,  and  it  was  with 
some  difficulty  that  I  prevented  the  "  fashionables  "  from 
monopolizing  her  altogether,  and  thus,  as  I  believed, 
sadly  marring  my  interests  by  cutting  her  off  from  the 
warm  sympathies  she  had  awakened  among  the  masses. 
Presents  of  all  sorts  were  showered  upon  her.  Milli 
ners,  mantua-makers,  and  shopkeepers  vied  with  each 
other  in  calling  her  attention  to  their  wares,  of  which 
they  sent  her  many  valuable  specimens,  delighted  if,  in 
return,  they  could  receive  her  autograph  acknowledg 
ment.  Songs,  quadrilles  and  polkas  Were  dedicated  to 
her,  and  poets  sung  in  her  praise.  We  had  Jenny  Lind 
gloves,  Jenny  Lind  bonnets,  Jenny  Lind  riding  hats, 
Jenny  Lind  shawls,  mantillas,  robes,  chairs,  sofas,  pi 
anos  —  in  fact,  every  thing  was  Jenny  Lind.  Her 
movements  were  constantly  watched,  and  the  moment 
her  carriage  appeared  at  the  door,  it  was  surrounded  by 
multitudes,  eager  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  Swedish 
Nightingale. 

In  looking  over  my  "  scrap-books  "  of  extracts  from 
the  New  York  papers  of  that  day,  in  which  all  accessi 
ble  details  concerning  her  were  duly  chronicled,  it  seems 
almost  incredible  that  such  a  degree  of  enthusiasm 
should  have  existed.  An  abstract  of  the  "sayings  and 
doings  "  in  regard  to  the  Jenny  Lind  mania  for  the  first 
ten  days  after  her  arrival,  appeared  in  the  London  Times 
of  Sept.  23, 1850,  and  although  it  was  an  ironical  "  show 
ing  up  "  of  the  American  enthusiasm,  filling  several  col 
umns,  it  was  nevertheless  a  faithful  condensation  of  facts 
which  at  this  late  day  seem  even  to  myself  more  like  a 
dream  than  reality. 

Before  her  arrival  I  had  offered  $200  for  a  prize  ode, 
•'  jr rooting  to  America,"  to  be  sung  by  Jenny  Lind  at 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  NEW  YORK.  291 

her  first  concert.  Several  hundred  "  poems"  were  sent 
in  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  the  Canadas. 
The  duties  of  the  Prize  Committee,  in  reading  these 
effusions  and  making  choice  of  the  one  most  worthy  the 
prize,  were  truly  arduous,  The  "  offerings,"  with  per 
haps  a  dozen  exceptions,  were  the  merest  doggerel  trash. 
The  prize  was  awarded  to  Bayard  Taylor  for  the  follow 
ing  ode : 

GREETING  TO  AMERICA. 

WORDS    BY    BAYARD    TAYLOK —  MUSIC    BY    JULIUS    BENEDICT. 

I  GREET  with  a  full  heart  the  Laud  of  the  West, 

Whose  Banner  of  Stars  o'er  a  world  is  unrolled ; 
Whose  empire  o'ershadows  Atlantic's  wide  breast, 

And  opens  to  sunset  its  gateway  of  gold ! 
The  land  of  the  mountain,  the  land  of  the  lake, 

And  rivers  that  roll  in  magnificent  tide  — 
Where  the  souls  of  the  mighty  from  slumber  awake, 

And  hallow  the  soil  for  whose  freedom  they  died! 

Thou  Cradle  of  Empire !  though  wide  be  the  foam 

That  severs  the  land  of  my  fathers  and  thee, 
I  hear,  from  thy  bosom,  the  welcome  of  home, 

For  Song  has  a  home  in  the  hearts  of  the  Free ! 
And  long  as  thy  waters  shall  gleam  in  the  sun, 

And  long  as  thy  heroes  remember  their  scars, 
Be  the  hands  of  thy  children  united  as  one, 

And  Peace  shed  her  light  on  thy  Banner  of  Stars! 

This  award,  although  it  gave  general  satisfaction,  yet 
was  met  with  disfavor  by  several  disappointed  poets, 
who,  notwithstanding  the  decision  of  the  committee, 
persisted  in  believing  and  declaring  their  own  produc 
tions  to  be  the  best.  This  state  of  feeling  was  doubt 
less,  in  part,  the  cause  which  led  to  the  publication, 
about  this  time,  of  a  witty  pamphlet  entitled  "  Bar- 
num's  Parnassus ;  being  Confidential  Disclosures  of  the 
Prize  Committee  on  the  Jenny  Lind  song." 

It  gave  some  capital  hits  in  which  the  committee,  the 
enthusiastic  public,  the  Nightingale,  and  myself,  wexe 

H 


292  THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  NEW  YORK. 

roundly  ridiculed.      The  following  is  a  fair  specimen 
from  the  work  in  question  : 

BARNUMOPSIS. 

A    RECITATIVE. 

WHEN  to  the  common  rest  that  crowns  his  days, 

Dusty  and  worn  the  tired  pedestrian  goes, 
What  light  is  that  whose  wide  o'erlooking  blaze 

A  sudden  glory  on  his  pathway  throws? 

'Tis  not  the  setting  sun,  whose  drooping  lid 

Closed  on  the  weary  world  at  half-past  six; 
'Tis  not  the  rising  moon,  whose  rays  are  hid 

Behind  the  city's  sombre  piles  of  bricks. 

It  is  the  Drummond  Light,  that  from  the  top 
Of  Barnum's  massive  pile,  sky-mingling  there, 

Darts  its  quick  gleam  o'er  every  shadowed  shop, 
And  gilds  Broadway  with  unaccustomed  glare. 

There  o'er  the  sordid  gloom,  whose  deep'ning  tracks 

Furrow  the  city's  brow,  the  front  of  ages, 
Thy  loftier  light  descends  on  cabs  and  hacks, 

And  on  two  dozen  different  lines  of  stages ! 

O  twilight  Sun,  with  thy  far  darting  ray, 

Thou  art  a  type  of  him  whose  tireless  hands 
Hung  thee  on  high  to  guide  the  stranger's  way, 

Where,  in  its  pride,  his  vast  Museum  stands. 

Him,  who  in  search  of  wonders  new  and  strange, 
Grasps  the  wide  skirts  of  Nature's  mystic  robe 

Explores  the  circles  of  eternal  change, 
And  the  dark  chambers  of  the  central  globe. 

He,  from  the  reedy  shores  of  fabled  Nile, 
Has  brought,  thick- ribbed  and  ancient  as  old  iron, 

That  venerable  beast  the  crocodile, 
And  many  a  skin  of  many  a  famous  lion. 

GO  lose  thyself  in  those  continuous  halls, 
Where  strays  the  fond  papa  with  son  and  daughter 

And  all  that  charms  or  startles  or  appals, 
Thou  shalt  behold,  and  for  a  single  quarter ! 

Far  from  the  Barcan  deserts  now  withdrawn, 

There  huge  constrictors  coil  their  scaly  backs; 
«  There,  cased  in  glass,  malignant  and  unshorn, 

Old  murderers  glare  in  sullennoss  and  wax. 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN   NEW  YORK.  293 

There  many  a  varied  form  the  sight  beguiles, 
In  rusty  broadcloth  decked  and  shocking  hat, 

And  there  the  unwieldy  Lambert  sits  and  smiles, 
In  the  majestic  plenitude  of  fat. 

Or  for  thy  gayer  hours,  the  orang-outang 
Or  ape  salutes  thee  with  his  strange  grimace, 

And  in  their  shapes,  stuffed  as  on  earth  they  sprang, 
Thine  individual  being  thou  canst  trace ! 

And  joys  the  youth  in  life's  green  spring,  who  goes 
With  the  sweet  babe  and  the  gray-headed  nurse, 

To  see  those  Cosmoramic  orbs  disclose 
The  varied  beauties  of  the  universe. 

And  last,  not  least,  the  marvellous  Ethiope, 

Changing  his  skin  by  preternatural  skill, 
Whom  every  setting  sun's  diurnal  slope 

Leaves  whiter  than  the  last,  and  whitening  still. 

All  that  of  monstrous,  scaly,  strange  and  queer, 
Has  come  from  out  the  womb  of  earliest  time, 

Thou  hast,  O  Barnum,  in  thy  keeping  here, 
Nor  is  this  all  —  for  triumphs  more  sublime 

Await  thee  yet!  I,  Jenny  Lind,  who  reigned 
Sublimely  throned,  the  imperial  queen  of  song, 

Wooed  by  thy  golden  harmonies,  have  deigned 
Captive  to  join  the  heterogeneous  throng. 

Sustained  by  an  unfaltering  trust  in  coin, 
Dealt  from  thy  hand,  O  thou  illustrious  man, 

Gladly  I  heard  the  summons  come  to  join 
Myself  the  innumerable  caravan. 

Besides  the  foregoing,  this  pamphlet  contained  eleven 
poems,  most  of  which  abounded  in  wit.  I  have  room 
for  but  a  single  stanza.  The  poet  speaks  of  the  vari 
ous  curiosities  in  the  Museum,  and  representing  me  as 
still  searching  for  further  novelties,  makes  me  address 
the  Swedish  Nightingale  as  follows  : 

"So  Jenny,  come  along!  you're  just  the  card  for  me, 
And  quit  these  kings  and  queens,  for  the  country  of  the  free ; 
They  '11  welcome  you  with  speeches,  and  serenades,  and  rockets, 
And  you  will  touch  their  hearts,  and  I  will  tap  their  pockets; 
And  if  between  us  botfi  the  public  isn't  skinned, 
Why,  my  name  isn't  Barnum,  nor  your  name  Jenny  Liud!" 


294  THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  NEW   YOKK. 

Various  extracts  from  this  brochure  were  copied  in 
the  papers  daily,  and  my  agents  scattered  the  work  as 
widely  as  possible,  thus  efficiently  aiding  and  advertis 
ing  my  enterprise  and  serving  to  keep  up  the  public 
excitement. 

Among  the  many  complimentary  poems  sent  in,  was 
the  following,  by  Mrs.  L.  H.  SIGOURNEY,  which  that 
distinguished  writer  enclosed  in  a  letter  to  me,  with  the 
request  that  I  should  hand  it  to  Miss  Lind : 

THE  SWEDISH  SONGSTEESS  AND  HER  CHAEITIE8. 

BY    MRS.    t.   H.    SIGOURNEY. 

BLEST  must  their  vocation  be 
Who,  with  tones  of  melody, 
Charm  the  discord  and  the  strife 
And  the  railroad  rush  of  life, 
And  with  Orphean  magic  move 
Souls  inert  to  life  and  love. 
But  there's  one  who  doth  inherit 
Angel  gift  and  angel  spirit, 
Bidding  tides  of  gladness  flow 
Through  the  realms  of  want  and  woe; 
'Mid  lone  age  and  misery's  lot, 
Kindling  pleasures  long  forgot, 
Seeking  minds  oppressed  with  night, 
And  on  darkness  shedding  light. 
She  the  seraph's  speech  doth  know, 
She  hath  done  their  deeds  below : 
So,  when  o'er  this  misty  strand 
She  shall  clasp  tJ^eir  waiting  hand, 
They  will  fold  her  to  their  breast, 
More  a  sister  than  a  guest. 

Jenny  Lind's  first  concert  was  fixed  to  come  off  at 
Castle  Garden,  on  Wednesday  evening,  September  llth, 
and  most  of  the  tickets  were  sold  at  auction  on  the  Sat 
urday  and  Monday  previous  to  the  concert.  John  N. 
Genin,  the  hatter,  laid  the  foundation  of  his  fortune  by 
purchasing  the  first  ticket  at  $225.  It  has  been  exten 
sively  reported  that  Mr.  Genin  and  I  are  brothers-in-law, 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  NEW  YORK.  295 

but  our  only  relations  are  those  of  business  and  friend 
ship.  The  proprietors  of  the  Garden  saw  fit  to  make 
the  usual  charge  of  one  shilling  to  all  persons  who 
entered  the  premises,  yet  three  thousand  people  were 
present  at  the  auction.  One  thousand  tickets  were  sold 
on  the  first  day  for  an  aggregate  sum  of  $10,141. 

On  the  Tuesday  after  her  arrival  I  informed  Miss  Lind 
that  I  wished  to  make  a  slight  alteration  in  our  agree 
ment.  "  What  is  it  I  "  she  asked  in  surprise. 

"  I  am  convinced,"  I  replied,  "  that  our  enterprise 
will  be  much  more  successful  than  either  of  us  antici 
pated.  I  wish,  therefore,  to  stipulate  that  you  shall 
receive  not  only  $1,000  for  each  concert,  besides  all  the 
expenses,  as  heretofore  agreed  on,  but  after  taking 
$5,500  per  night  for  expenses  and  my  services,  the 
balance  shall  be  equally  divided  between  us." 

Jenny  looked  at  me  with  astonishment.  She  could 
not  comprehend  my  proposition.  After  I  had  repeated 
it,  and  she  fully  understood  its  import,  she  cordially 
grasped  me  by  the  hand,  and  exclaimed,  "  Mr,  Barnum, 
you  are  a  gentleman  of  honor :  you  are  generous ;  it  is 
just  as  Mr.  Bates  told  me ;  I  will  sing  for  you  as  long  as 
you  please;  I  will  sing  for  you  in  America  —  in  Europe 
— ••  anywhere !  " 

Upon  drawing  the  new  contract  which  was  to  include 
this  entirely  voluntary  and  liberal  advance  on  my  part, 
beyond  the  terms  of  the  original  agreement,  Miss  Lind's 
lawyer,  Mr.  John  Jay,  who  was  present  solely  to  put  in 
writing  the  new  arrangement  between  Miss  Lind  and 
myself,  insisted  upon  intruding  the  suggestion  that  she 
should  have  the  right  to  terminate  the  engagement  at 
the  end  of  the  sixtieth  concert,  if  she  should  choose  to 
do  so.  This  proposition  was  so  persistently  aiid  annoy- 


296  THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  NEW  YORK. 

ingly  pressed  that  Miss  Lind  was  finally  induced  to 
entertain  it,  at  the  same  time  offering,  if  she  did  so,  to 
refund  to  me  all  moneys  paid  her  up  to  that  time, 
excepting  the  $1,000  per  concert  according  to  the  origi 
nal  agreement.  This  was  agreed  to,  and  it  was  also 
arranged  that  she  might  terminate  the  engagement  at 
the  one-hundredth  concert,  if  she  desired,  upon  paying 
me  $25,000  for  the  loss  of  the  additional  fifty  nights. 

After  this  new  arrangement  was  completed,  I  said: 
"  Now,  Miss  Lind,  as  you  are  directly  interested,  you 
must  have  an  agent  to  assist  in  taking  and  counting  the 
tickets";  to  which  she  replied,  "  Oh,  no!  Mr.  Barnum  ; 
I  have  every  confidence  in  you  and  I  must  decline  to  act 
upon  your  suggestion  "  ;  but  I  continued : 

"  1  never  allow  myself,  if  it  can  be  avoided,  when  I 
have  associates  in  the  same  interests,  to  be  placed  in  a 
position  where  I  must  assume  the  sole  responsibility. 
I  never  even  permitted  an  actor  to  take  a  benefit  at  my 
Museum,  unless  he  placed  a  ticket-taker  of  his  own  at 
the  door." 

Thus  urged,  Miss  Lind  engaged  Mr.  Seton  to  act  as 
her  ticket-taker,  and  after  we  had  satisfactorily  arranged 
the  matter,  Jay,  knowing  the  whole  aifair,  had  the  impu 
dence  to  come  to  me  with  a  package  of  blank  printed 
affidavits,  which  he  demanded  that  I  should  fill  out,  from 
day  to  day,  with  the  receipts  of  each  concert,  and  swear 
to  their  correctness  before  a  magistrate ! 

I  told  him  that  I  would  see  him  on  the  subject  at 
Miss  Lind's  hotel  that  afternoon,  and  going  there  a  few 
moments  before  the  appointed  hour,  I  narrated  the  cir 
cumstances  to  Mr.  Benedict  and  showed  him  an  affidavit 
which  I  had  made  that  morning  to  the  effect  that  I 
would  never  directly  or  indirectly  take  any  advantage 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  NEW  YORK.         297 

whatever  of  Miss  Lind.  This  I  had  made  oath  to,  for 
I  thought  if  there  was  any  swearing  of  that  kind  to  be 
done  I  would  do  it  "  in  a  lump "  rather  than  in  detail. 
Mr.  Benedict  was  very  much  opposed  to  it,  and  arriving 
during  the  interview,  Jay  was  made  to  see  the  matter  in 
such  a  light  that  he  was  thoroughly  ashamed  of  his 
proposition,  and,  requesting  that  the  affair  might  not  be 
mentioned  to  Miss  Lind,  he  begged  me  to  destroy  the 
affidavit.  I  heard  no  more  about  swearing  to  our 
receipts. 

On  Tuesday,  September  10th,  I  informed  Miss  Lind 
that,  judging  by  present  appearances,  her  portion  of  the 
proceeds  of  the  first  concert  would  amount  to  $10,000. 
She  immediately  resolved  to  devote  every  dollar  of  it  to 
charity ;  and,  sending  for  Mayor  Woodhull,  she  acted 
under  his  and  my  advice  in  selecting  the  various  institu 
tions  among  which  she  wished  the  amount  to  be 
distributed. 

My  arrangements  of  the  concert  room  were  very 
complete.  The  great  parterre  and  gallery  of  Castle 
Garden  were  divided  by  imaginary  lines  into  four  com 
partments,  each  of  which  was  designated  by  a  lamp  of 
a  different  color.  The  tickets  were  printed  in  colors 
correspondiog  with  the  location  which  the  holders  were 
to  occupy,  and  one  hundred  ushers,  with  rosettes  and 
bearing  wands  tipped  with  ribbons  of  the  several  hues, 
enabled  every  individual  to  find  his  or  her  seat  without 
the  slightest  difficulty.  Every  seat  was  of  course  num 
bered  in  color  to  correspond  with  the  check,  which  each 
person  retained  after  giving  up  an  entrance  ticket  at  the 
door.  Thus,  tickets,  checks,  lamps,  rosettes,  wands,  and 
even  the  seat  numbers  were  all  in  the  appropriate  colors 
to  designate  the  different  departments.  These  arrange- 


298  THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  NEW   YOUR. 

ments  were  duly  advertised,  and  every  particular  was 
also  printed  upon  each  ticket.  In  order  to  prevent 
confusion,  the  doors  were  opened  at  five  o'clock,  while 
the  concert  did  not  commence  until  eight.  The  conse 
quence  was,  that  although  about  five  thousand  persons 
were  present  at  the  first  concert,  their  entrance  was 
marked  with  as  much  order  and  quiet  as  was  ever 
witnessed  in  the  assembling  of  a  congregation  at  church. 
These  precautions  were  observed  at  all  the  concerts 
given  throughout  the  country  under  my  administration, 
and  the  good  order  which  always  prevailed  was  the 
subject  of  numberless  encomiums  from  the  public  and 
the  press. 

The  reception  of  Jenny  Lind  on  her  first  appearance, 
in  point  of  enthusiasm,  was  probably  never  before 
equalled  in  the  world.  As  Mr.  Benedict  led  her 
towards  the  foot-lights,  the  entire  audience  rose  to  their 
feet  and  welcomed  her  with  three  cheers,  accompanied 
by  the  waving  of  thousands  of  hats  and  handkerchiefs. 
This  was  by  far  the  largest  audience  to  which  Jenny 
Lind  had  ever  sung.  She  was  evidently  much  agitated, 
but  the  orchestra  commenced,  and  before  she  had  sung 
a  dozen  notes  of  "  Casta  Diva,"  she  began  to  recover 
her  self-possession,  and  long  before  the  scena  was 
concluded,  she  was  as  calm  as  if  she  was  in  her  own 
drawing-room.  Towards  the  last  portion  of  the  cavatina, 
the  audience  were  so  completely  carried  away  by  their 
feelings,  that  the  remainder  of  the  air  was  drowned  in 
a  perfect  tempest  of  acclamation.  Enthusiasm  had  been 
wrought  to  its  highest  pitch,  but  the  musical  powers  of 
Jenny  Lind  exceeded  all  the  brilliant  anticipations 
which  had  been  formed,  and  her  triumph  was  complete. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  concert  Jenny  Lind  was  loudly 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  NEW  YORK.  299 

called  for,  and  was  obliged  to  appear  three  times  before 
the  audience  could  be  satisfied.  They  then  called 
vociferously  for  "  Barnum,"  and  I  reluctantly  responded 
to  their  demand. 

On  this  first  night,  Mr.  Julius  Benedict  firmly  estab 
lished  with  the  American  people  his  European  reputa 
tion,  as  a  most  accomplished  conductor  and  musical 
composer ;  while  Signor  Belletti  inspired  an  admiration 
which  grew  warmer  and  deeper  in  the  minds  of  the 
American  people,  to  the  end  of  his  career  in  this 
country. 

It  would  seem  as  if  the  Jenny  Lind  mania  had 
reached  its  culminating  point  before  she  appeared,  and 
I  confess  that  I  feared  the  anticipations  of  the  public 
were  too  high  to  be  realized,  and  hence  that  there 
would  be  a  reaction  after  the  first  concert ;  but  I  was 
happily  disappointed.  The  transcendent  musical  genius 
of  the  Swedish  Nightingale  was  superior  to  all  that 
fancy  could  paint,  and  the  furor  did  not  attain  its  high 
est  point  until  she  had  been  heard.  The  people  were 
in  ecstasies  ;  the  powers  of  editorial  acumen,  types  and 
ink,  were  inadequate  to  sound  her  praises.  The  Rubicon 
was  passed.  The  successful  issue  of  the  Jenny  Lind 
enterprise  was  established.  I  think  there  were  a  hun 
dred  men  in  New  York,  the  day  after  her  first  concert, 
who  would  have  willingly  paid  me  $200,000  for  my 
contract.  I  received  repeated  offers  for  an  eighth,  a 
tenth,  or  a  sixteenth,  equivalent  to  that  price.  But 
mine  had  been  the  risk,  and  I  was  determined  mine 
should  be  the  triumph.  So  elated  was  I  with  my  suc 
cess,  in  spite  of  all  obstacles  and  false  prophets,  that  I 
do  not  think  half  a  million  of  dollars  would  have  tempted 
me  to  relinquish  the  enterprise. 
14* 


800  THE  NIGHTINGALE  IN  NEW  YORK. 

Upon  settling  the  receipts  of  the  first  concert,  they 
were  found  to  be  somewhat  less  than  I  anticipated. 
The  sums  bid  at  the  auction  sales,  together  with  the 
tickets  purchased  at  private  sale,  amounted  to  more 
than  $20,000.  It  proved,  however,  that  several  of  the 
tickets  bid  off  at  from  $12  to  $25  each,  were  not  called 
for.  In  some  instances,  probably  the  zeal  of  the  bidders 
cooled  down  when  they  came  out  from  the  scene  of  ex 
citement,  and  once  more  breathed  the  fresh  sea-breeze 
which  came  sweeping  up  from  "  the  Narrows,"  while 
perhaps,  in  other  instances,  bids  were  made  by  parties 
who  never  intended  to  take  the  tickets.  I  can  only  say, 
once  for  all,  that  I  was  never  privy  to  a  false  bid,  and 
was  so  particular  upon  that  point,  that  I  would  not  per 
mit  one  of  my  employees  to  bid  on,  or  purchase  a  ticket 
at  auction,  though  requested  to  do  so  for  especial 
friends. 

The  amount  of  money  received  for  tickets  to  the  first 
concert  was  $17,864.05.  As  this  made  Miss  Lind's 
portion  too  small  to  realize  the  $10,000  which  had  been 
announced  as  devoted  to  charity,  I  proposed  to  divide 
equally  with  her  the  proceeds  of  the  first  two  concerts, 
and  not  count  them  at  all  in  our  regular  engagement. 
Accordingly,  the  second  concert  was  given  September 
13th,  and  the  receipts,  amounting  to  $14,203.03,  were, 
like  those  of  the  first  concert,  equally  divided.  Our 
third  concert,  but  which,  as  between  ourselves,  we 
called  the  "  first  regular  concert,"  was  given  Tuesday 
September  17,  1850. 


CHAPTER     XIX. 

SUCCESSFUL   MANAGEMENT. 

HEAD-WORK  AND  HAND-WORK  —  MANAGING  PUBLIC  OPINION  —  CREATING  A 
FUROR— THE  NEW  YORK  HERALD  —  JENNY  LIND'S  EVIL  AD VISERS  —  JOHN 
JAY— MISS  LIND'S  CHARITIES— A  POOR  GIRL  IN  BOSTON  — THE  NIGHTINGALE 
AT  IRANISTAN — RUMOR  OF  HER  MARRIAGE  TO  P.  T.  BARNUM  —  THE  STORY 
BASED  ON  OUR  "ENGAGEMENT" — WHAT  IRANISTAN  DID  FOR  ME  —  AVOIDING 
CROWDS  —  IN  PHILADELPHIA  AND  BALTIMORE  —  A  SUBSTITUTE  FOR  MISS 

LIND  — OUR  ORCHESTRA — PRESIDENT  FILLMORE,  CLAY,  FOOTE,  BENTON, 
SCOTT,  CASS,  AND  WEBSTER — VISIT  TO  MT.  VERNON  —  CHRISTMAS  PRESENTS  — 
NEW  YEAR'S  EVE — WE  GO  TO  HAVANA  —  PLAYING  BALL — FREDERIKA  BRE- 
HER  —  A  HAPPY  MONTH  IN  CUBA. 

No  ONE  can  imagine  the  amount  of  head-work  and 
hand-work  which  I  performed  during  the  first  four 
weeks  after  Jenny  Lind's  arrival.  Anticipating  much 
of  this,  I  had  spent  some  time  in  August  at  the  White 
Mountains  to  recruit  my  energies.  Of  course  I  had 
not  been  idle  during  the  summer.  I  had  put  innumer 
able  means  and  appliances  into  operation  for  the  fur 
therance  of  my  object,  and  little  did  the  public  see  of 
the  hand  that  indirectly  pulled  at  their  heart-strings, 
preparatory  to  a  relaxation  of  their  purse-strings  ;  and 
these  means  and  appliances  were  continued  and 
enlarged  throughout  the  whole  of  that  triumphal 
musical  campaign. 

The  first  great  assembly  at  Castle  Garden  was  not 
gathered  by  Jenny  Lind's  musical  genius  and  powers 
alone.  She  was  effectually  introduced  to  the  public 
before  they  had  seen  or  heard  her.  She  appeared 
in  the  presence  of  a  jury  already  excited  to  enthusiasm 


302  SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT. 

in  her  behalf.  She  more  than  met  their  expectations, 
and  all  the  means  I  had  adopted  to  prepare  the  way 
were  thus  abundantly  justified. 

As  a  manager,  I  worked  by  setting  others  to  work. 
Biographies  of  the  Swedish  Nightingale  were  largely 
circulated  ;  "  Foreign  Correspondence "  glorified  her 
talents  and  triumphs  by  narratives  of  her  benevolence  ; 
and  "  printer's  ink "  was  invoked  in  every  possible 
form,  to  put  and  keep  Jenny  Lind  before  the  people. 
I  am  happy  to  say  that  the  press  generally  echoed 
the  voice  of  her  praise  from  first  to  last.  1  could  fill 
many  volumes  with  printed  extracts  which  are  nearly 
all  of  a  similar  tenor  to  the  following  unbought, 
unsolicited  editorial  article,  which  appeared  in  the 
New  York  Herald  of  Sept.  10,  1850  (the  day 
before  the  first  concert  given  by  Miss  Lind  in  the 
United  States)  : 

"JENNY  LIND  AND  THE  AMERICAN  PEOPLE. — What  ancient  monarch  was 
he,  either  in  history  or  in  fable,  who  offered  half  his  kingdom  (the  price  of  box  tick 
ets  and  choice  seats  in  those  days)  for  the  invention  of  an  original  sensation,  or 
the  discovery  of  a  fresh  pleasure?  That  sensation  —  that  pleasure  which  royal 
power  in  the  old  world  failed  to  discover — has  been  called  into  existence  at  a  less 
price,  by  Mr.  Barnum,  a  plain  republican,  and  is  now  about  to  be  enjoyed  by  the 
sovereigns  of  the  new  world. 

"  Jenny  Lind,  the  most  remarkable  phenomenon  in  musical  art  which  has  for 
the  last  century  flashed  across  the  horizon  of  the  old  world,  is  now  among  us,  and 
will  make  her  debut  to-morrow  night  to  a  house  of  nearly  ten  thousand  listeners, 
yielding  in  proceeds  by  auction,  a  sum  of  forty  or  fifty  thousand  dollars.  For 
the  last  ten  days  our  musical  reporters  have  furnished  our  readers  with  every 
matter  connected  with  her  arrival  in  this  metropolis,  and  the  steps  adopted  by  Mr. 
Barnum  in  preparation  for  her  first  appearance.  The  proceedings  of  yesterday, 
consisting  of  the  sale  of  the  remainder  of  the  tickets,  and  the  astonishing,  "the 
wonderful  sensation  produced  at  her  first  rehearsal  on  the  few  persons,  critics  in 
musical  art,  who  were  admitted  on  the  occasion,  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  our 
columns. 

"We  concur  in  everything  that  has  been  said  by  our  musical  reporter,  describ 
ing  her  extraordinary  genius  —  her  unrivalled  combination  of  power  and  art. 
Nothing  has  been  exaggerated,  not  an  iota.  Three  years  ago,  more  or  less,  we 
hoard  Jenny  Lind  on  many  occasions  when  she  made  the  first  great  sensation  in 
Europe,  by  her  debut  at  the  London  Opera  House.  Then  she  was  great  in  power 
--in  art  —  in  genius;  now  she  is  greater  in  all.  We  speak  from  experience  and 


SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT.  303 

conviction.  Then  she  astonished,  and  pleased,  and  fascinated  the  thousands  of 
the  British  aristocracy;  now  she  will  fascinate,  and  please,  and  delight,  and  almost 
make  mad  with  musical  excitement,  the  millions  of  the  American  democracy.  To 
morrow  night,  this  new  sensation  —  this  fresh  movement  —  this  excitement  excel 
ling  all  former  excitements — will  be  called  into  existence,  when  she  pours  out  the 
notes  of  CastaDiva,  and  exhibits  her  astonishing  powers  — her  wonderful  pecu 
liarities,  that  seem  more  of  heaven  than  of  earth  —  more  of  a  voice  from  eternity, 
than  from  the  lips  of  a  human  being. 

' '  We  speak  soberly  —  seriously  —  calmly.  The  public  expectation  has  run  very 
high  for  the  last  week  —  higher  than  at  any  former  period  of  our  past  musical 
annals.  But  high  as  it  has  risen,  the  reality  —  the  fact  —  the  concert  —  the  voice 
and  power  of  Jenny  Lind  —  will  far  surpass  all  past  expectation.  Jenny  Lind  is  a 
wonder,  and  a  prodigy  in  song  —  and  no  mistake." 

As  usual,  however,  the  Herald  very  soon  "  took  it  all 
back  "  and  roundly  abused  Miss  Lind  and  persistently 
attacked  her  manager.  As  usual,  too,  the  public  paid 
no  attention  to  the  Herald  and  doubled  their  patronage 
of  the  Jenny  Lind  concerts. 

After  the  first  month  the  business  became  thoroughly 
systematized,  and  by  the  help  of  such  agents  as  my 
faithful  treasurer,  L.  C.  Stewart,  and  the  indefatigable 
Le  Grand  Smith,  my  personal  labors  were  materially 
relieved;  but  from  the  first  concert  on  the  llth  of  Sep 
tember,  1850,  until  the  ninety-third  concert  on  the  9th 
of  June,  1851,  a  space  of  nine  months,  I  did  not  know 
a  waking  moment  that  was  entirely  free  from  anxiety. 

I  could  not  hope  to  be  exempted  from  trouble  and 
perplexity  in  managing  an  enterprise  which  depended 
altogether  on  popular  favor,  and  which  involved  great 
consequences  to  myself ;  but  I  did  not  expect  the 
numerous  petty  annoyances  which  beset  me,  especially 
in  the  early  period  of  the  concerts.  Miss  Lind  did  not 
dream,  nor  did  any  one  else,  of  the  unparalleled  enthu 
siasm  that  would  greet  her ;  and  the  first  immense 
assembly  at  Castle  Garden  somewhat  prepared  her,  I 
suspect,  to  listen  to  evil  advisers.  It  would  seem  that 
the  terms  of  our  revised  contract  were  sufficiently  liberal 


304  SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT. 

to  her  and  sufficiently  hazardous  to  myself,  to  justify  the 
expectation  of  perfectly  honorable  treatment ;  but  certain 
envious  intermeddlers  appeared  to  think  differently. 
"  Do  you  not  see,  Miss  Lind,  that  Mr.  Barnum  is  coining 
money  out  of  your  genius  ?  "  said  they ;  of  course  she 
saw  it,  but  the  high-minded  Swede  despised  and  spurned 
the  advisers  who  recommended  her  to  repudiate  her  con 
tract  with  me  at  all  hazards,  and  take  the  enterprise 
into  her  own  hands  —  possibly  to  put  it  into  theirs.  I, 
however,  suffered  much  from  the  unreasonable  interfer 
ence  of  her  lawyer,  Mr.  John  Jay.  Benedict  and  Belletti 
behaved  like  men,  and  Jenny  afterwards  expressed  to 
me  her  regret  that  she  had  for  a  moment  listened  to  the 
vexatious  exactions  of  her  legal  counsellor. 

To  show  the  difficulties  with  which  I  had  to  contend 
thus  early  in  my  enterprise,  I  copy  a  letter  which  I 
wrote,  a  little  more  than  one  month  after  Miss  Lind 
commenced  her  engagement  with  me,  to  my  friend  Mr0 
Joshua  Bates,  of  Messrs.  Baring,  Brothers  &  Co., 
London : 

NEW  YORK,  Oct.  23,  1850. 
JOSHUA  BATES  ESQ.: 

DEAR  SIB,  —  I  take  the  liberty  to  write  you  a  few  lines,  merely  to  say  that  we 
are  getting  along  as  well  as  could  reasonably  be  expected.  In  this  country  you 
are  aware  that  the  rapid  accumulation  of  wealth  always  creates  much  envy,  and 
envy  soon  augments  to  malice.  Such  are  the  elements  at  work  to  a  limited 
degree  against  myself,  and  although  Miss  Lind,  Benedict  and  myself  have  never, 
as  yet,  had  the  slightest  feelings  between  us,  to  my  knowledge,  except  those  of 
friendship,  yet  I  cannot  well  see  how  this  can  long  continue  in  face  of  the 
fact  that,  nearly  every  day,  they  allow  persons  (some  moving  in  the  first  classes  of 
society)  to  approach  them,  and  spend  hours  in  traducing  me;  even  her  attorney, 
Mr.  John  Jay,  has  been  so  blind  to  her  interests,  as  to  aid  in  poisoning  her  mind 
against  me,  by  pouring  into  her  ears  the  most  silly  twaddle,  all  of  which  amounts 
to  nothing  and  less  than  nothing  — such  as  the  regret  that  I  was  a  'showman,' 
exhibitor  of  Tom  Thumb,  etc.,  etc. 

Without  the  elements  which  I  possess  for  business,  as  well  as  my  knowledge 
of  human  nature,  acquired  in  catering  for  the  public,  the  result  of  her  concerts 
here  would  not  have  been  pecuniarily  one  half  as  much  as  at  present  —  and  such 
men  as  the  Hon.  Edward  Everett,  G.  G.  Howland,  and  others  will  tell  you  that 
there  is  no  charlatanism  or  lack  of  dignity  in  my  management  of  these  concerts. 
I  know  as  well  as  any  person  that  the  merits  of  Jenny  Liud  are  the  best  capital 


SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT.  305 

to  depend  upon  to  secure  public  favor,  and  I  have  thus  far  acted  on  this  knowl 
edge.  Everything  which  money  and  attention  can  procure  for  their  comfort,  they 
have,  and  I  am  glad  to  know  that  they  are  satisfied  on  this  score.  All  I  fear  is, 
that  these  continual  backbitings,  if  listened  to  by  her,  will,  by  and  by,  produce  a 
feeling  of  distrust  or  regret,  which  will  lead  to  unpleasant  results. 

The  fact  is,  her  mind  ought  to  be  as  free  as  air,  and  she  herself  as  free  as  a 
bird,  and,  being  satisfied  of  my  probity  and  ability,  she  should  turn  a  deaf  ear  to 
all  envious  and  malevolent  attacks  on  me.  I  have  hoped  that  by  thus  briefly 
stating  to  you  the  facts  in  the  case,  you  might  be  induced  for  her  interests  as  well 
as  mine  to  drop  a  line  of  advice  to  Mi-.  Benedict  and  another  to  Mr.  Jay  oil  this 
subject.  If  I  am  asking  or  expecting  too  much,  I  pray  you  to  not  give  it  a 
thought,  for  I  feel  myself  fully  able  to  carry  through  my  rights  alone,  although  I 
should  deplore  nothing  so  much  as  to  be  obliged  to  do  so  in  a  feeling  of  unfriend 
liness.  I  have  risked  much  money  on  the  issue  of  this  speculation  —  it  has 
proved  successful.  I  am  full  of  perplexity  and  anxiety,  and  labor  continually  for 
success,  and  I  cannot  allow  ignorance  or  envy  to  rob  me  of  the  fruits  of  my 
enterprise. 

Sincerely  and  gratefully,  yours, 

P.  T.  BAKNUM. 


It  is  not  my  purpose  to  enter  into  full  details  of  all 
of  the  Lind  concerts,  though  I  have  given  elsewhere  a 
transcript  from  the  account  books  of  my  treasurer,  pre 
senting  a  table  of  the  place  and  exact  receipts  of  each 
concert.  This  will  gratify  curiosity,  and  at  the  same 
time  indicate  our  route  of  travel.  Meanwhile,  I  devote 
a  few  pages  to  interesting  incidents  connected  with  Miss 
Lind's  visit  to  America. 

Jenny  Lind's  character  for  benevolence  became  so 
generally  known,  that  her  door  was  beset  by  persons 
asking  charity,  and  she  was  in  the  receipt,  while  in  the 
principal  cities,  of  numerous  letters,  all  on  the  same 
subject.  Her  secretary  examined  and  responded  favor 
ably  to  some  of  them.  He  undertook  at  first  to  answer 
them  all,  but  finally  abandoned  that  course  in  despair. 
I  knew  of  many  instances  in  which  she  gave  sums  of 
money  to  applicants,  varying  in  amount  from  $20,  $50, 
$500,  to  $1,000,  and  in  one  instance  she  gave  $5,000  to 
a  Swedish  friend. 

One  night,  while  giving   a  concert  in  Boston,  a  girl 


306  SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT. 

approached  the  ticket-office,  and  laying  down  $3  for  a 
ticket,  remarked,  "  There  goes  half  a  month's  earnings, 
but  I  am  determined  to  hear  Jenny  Lind."  Miss  Lind's 
secretary  heard  the  remark,  and  a  few  minutes  after 
wards  coming  into  her  room,  he  laughingly  related  the 
circumstance.  -  "  Would  you  know  the  girl  agrun  ? " 
asked  Jenny,  with  an  earnest  look.  Upon  receiving  an 
affirmative  reply,  she  instantly  placed  a  $20  gold-piece 
in  his  hand,  and  said,  "  Poor  girl !  give  her  that  with  my 
best  compliments."  He  at  once  found  the  girl,  who 
cried  with  joy  when  she  received  the  gold-piece,  and 
heard  the  kind  words  with  which  the  gift  was  accompa 
nied. 

The  night  after  Jenny's  arrival  in  Boston,  a  display 
of  fireworks  was  given  in  her  honor,  in  front  of  the 
Revere  House,  after  which  followed  a  beautiful  torch 
light  procession  by  the  Germans  of  that  city. 

On  her  return  from  Boston  to  New  York,  Jenny,  her 
companion,  and  Messrs.  Benedict  and  Belletti,  stopped 
at  Iranistan,  my  residence  in  Bridgeport,  where  they 
remained  until  the  following  day.  The  morning  after 
her  arrival,  she  took  my  arm  and  proposed  a  promenade 
through  the  grounds.  She  seemed  much  pleased,  and 
said,  "  I  am  astonished  that  you  should  have  left  such  a, 
beautiful  place  for  the  sake  of  travelling  through  the 
country  with  me." 

The  same  day  she  told  me  in  a  playful  mood,  that  she 
had  heard  a  most  extraordinary  report.  "  I  have  heard 
that  you  and  I  are  about  to  be  married,"  said  she ; 
"  now  how  could  such  an  absurd  report  ever  have  origi 
nated  ?  " 

"  Probably  from  the  fact  that  we  are  ;  engaged,'"  I 
replied.  She  enjoyed  a  joke,  and  laughed  heartily. 


SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT.  307 

"  Do  you  know,  Mr.  Barnum,"  said  she,  "  that  if  you 
had  not  built  Iranistan,  I  should  never  have  come  to 
America  for  you  ?  " 

I  expressed  my  surprise,  and  asked  her  to  explain. 

"  I  had  received  several  applications  to  visit  the 
United  States,"  she  continued,  "  but  I  did  not  much  like 
the  appearance  of  the  applicants,  nor  did  I  relish  the 
idea  of  crossing  3,000  miles  of  ocean ;  so  I  declined 
them  all.  But  the  first  letter  which  Mr.  Wilton,  your 
agent,  addressed  me,  was  written  upon  a  sheet  headed 
with  a  beautiful  engraving  of  Iranistan.  It  attracted 
my  attention.  I  said  to  myself,  a  gentleman  who  has 
been  so  successful  in  his  business  as  to  be  able  to 
build  and  reside  in  such  a  palace  cannot  be  a  mere 
'  adventurer/  So  I  wrote  to  your  agent,  and  consented 
to  an  interview,  which  I  should  have  declined,  if  I  had 
not  seen  the  picture  of  Iranistan ! " 

"  That,  then,  fully  pays  me  for  building  it,"  I  replied  ; 
"for  I  intend  and  expect  to  make  more  by  this  musical 
enterprise  than  Iranistan  cost  me." 

"  I  really  hope  so,"  she  replied ;  "  but  you  must  not 
be  too  sanguine,  you  know, '  man  proposes  but  God  dis 
poses.'  ' 

Jenny  Lind  always  desired  to  reach  a  place  in  which 
she  was  to  sing,  without  having  the  time  of  her  arrival 
known,  thus  avoiding  the  excitement  of  promiscuous 
crowds.  As  a  manager,  however,  I  knew  that  the  inter 
ests  of  the  enterprise  depended  in  a  great  degree  upon 
these  excitements.  Although  it  frequently  seemed 
inconceivable  to  her  how  so  many  thousands  should 
have  discovered  her  secret  and  consequently  gathered 
together  to  receive  her,  I  was  not  so  much  astonished, 
inasmuch  as  my  agent  always  had  early  telegraphic 


308  SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT. 

intelligence  of  the  time  of  her  anticipated  arrival,  ana 
was  not  slow  in  communicating  the  information  to  the 
public. 

On  reaching  Philadelphia,  a  large  concourse  of  per 
sons  awaited  the  approach  of  the  steamer  which  con 
veyed  her.  With  difficulty  we  pressed  through  the 
crowd,  and  were  followed  by  many  thousands  to  Jones's 
Hotel.  The  street  in  front  of  the  building  was  densely 
packed  by  the  populace,  and  poor  Jenny,  who  was  suf 
fering  from  a  severe  headache,  retired  to  her  apartments. 
I  tried  to  induce  the  crowd  to  disperse,  but  they  declared 
they  would  not  do  so  until  Jenny  Lind  should  appear 
on  the  balcony.  I  would  not  disturb  her,  and  knowing 
that  the  tumult  might  prove  an  annoyance  to  her,  I 
placed  her  bonnet  arid  shawl  upon  her  companion,  Miss 
Ahmansen,  and  led  her  out  on  the  balcony.  She  bowed 
gracefully  to  the  multitude,  who  gave  her  three  hearty 
cheers  and  quietly  dispersed.  Miss  Lind  was  so  utterly 
averse  to  any  thing  like  deception,  that  we  never  ven 
tured  to  tell  her  the  part  which  her  bonnet  and  shawl 
had  played  in  the  absence  of  their  owner. 

Jenny  was  in  the  habit  of  attending  church  whenever 
she  could  do  so  without  attracting  notice.  She  always 
preserved  her  nationality,  also,  by  inquiring  out  and 
attending  Swedish  churches  wherever  they  could  be 
found.  She  gave  $1,000  to  a  Swedish  church  in  Chi 
cago. 

While  in  Boston,  a  poor  Swedish  girl,  a  domestic  in 
a  family  at  Roxbury,  called  on  Jenny.  She  detained 
her  visitor  several  hours,  talking  about  home,  and  other 
matters,  and  in  the  evening  took  her  in  her  carriage  to 
the  concert,  gave  her  a  seat,  and  sent  her  back  to  Rox 
bury  in  a  carriage,  at  the  close  of  the  performances.  I 


SUCCESSFUL   MANAGEMENT.  309 


have  no  doubt  the  poor  girl  carried  with  her  substan 
tial  evidences  of  her  countrywoman's  bounty. 

My  eldest  daughter,  Caroline,  and  her  friend,  Mrs. 
Lyman,  of  Bridgeport,  accompanied  me  on  the  tour 
from  New  York  to  Havana,  and  thence  home,  via  New 
Orleans  and  the  Mississippi. 

We  were  at  Baltimore  on  the  Sabbath,  and  my 
daughter,  accompanying  a  friend,  who  resided  in  the 
city,  to  church,  took  a  seat  with  her  in  the  choir,  and 
joined  in  the  singing.  A  number  of  the  congregation, 
who  had  seen  Caroline  with  me  the  day  previous,  and 
supposed  her  to  be  Jenny  Lind,  were  yet  laboring  under 
the  same  mistake,  and  it  was  soon  whispered  through 
the  church  that  Jenny  Lind  was  in  the  choir !  The 
excitement  was  worked  to  its  highest  pitch  when  my 
daughter  rose  as  one  of  the  musical  group.  Every  ear 
was  on  the  alert  to  catch  the  first  notes  of  her  voice, 
and  when  she  sang,  glances  of  satisfaction  passed  through 
the  assembly.  Caroline,  quite  unconscious  of  the  atten 
tion  she  attracted,  continued  to  sing  to  the  end  of  the 
hymn.  Not  a  note  was  lost  upon  the  ears  of  the  atten 
tive  congregation.  "  What  an  exquisite  singer ! " 
"  Heavenly  sounds!"  "  I  never  heard  the  like!"  and 
similar  expressions  were  whispered  through  the  church. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  services,  my  daughter  and 
her  friend  found  the  passage  way  to  their  carriage 
blocked  by  a  crowd  who  were  anxious  to  obtain  a  nearer 
view  of  the  "  Swedish  Nightingale,"  and  many  persons 
that  afternoon  boasted,  in  good  faith,  that  they  had 
listened  to  the  extraordinary  singing  of  the  great  song 
stress.  The  pith  of  the  joke  is  that  we  have  never 
discovered  that  my  daughter  has  any  extraordinary 
claims  as  a  vocalist. 


310  SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT. 

Our  orchestra  in  New  York  consisted  of  sixty.  When 
we  started  on  our  southern  tour,  we  took  with  us  per 
manently  as  the  orchestra,  twelve  of  the  best  musicians 
we  could  select,  and  in  New  Orleans  augmented  the 
force  to  sixteen.  We  increased  the  number  to  thirty- 
five,  forty  or  fifty,  as  the  case  might  be,  by  choice  of 
musicians  residing  where  the  concerts  were  given.  On 
our  return  to  New  York  from  Havana,  we  enlarged  the 
orchestra  to  one  hundred  performers. 

The  morning  after  our  arrival  in  Washington,  Presi 
dent  Fillmore  called,  and  left  his  card,  Jenny  being  out. 
When  she  returned  and  found  the  token  of  his  attention, 
she  was  in  something  of  a  fiurry.  "  Come,"  said  she, 
"  we  must  call  on  the  President  immediately." 

"Why  so?"  I  inquired. 

"  Because  he  has  called  on  me,  and  of  course  that  is 
equivalent  to  a  command  for  me  to  go  to  his  house." 

I  assured  her  that  she  might  make  her  mind  at  ease,  for 
whatever  might  be  the  custom  with  crowned  heads,  our 
Presidents  were  not  wront  to  "  command  "  the  movements 
of  strangers,  and  that  she  would  be  quite  in  time  if  she 
returned  his  call  the  next  day.  She  did  so,  and  was 
charmed  with  the  unaffected  bearing  of  the  President, 
and  the  warm  kindnesses  expressed  by  his  amiable  wife 
and  daughter,  and  consented  to  spend  the  evening  with 
them  in  conformity  with  their  request.  She  was  accom 
panied  to  the  •"  White  House "  by  Messrs  Benedict, 
Belletti  and  myself,  and  several  happy  hours  were 
spent  in  the  private  circle  of  the  President's  family. 

Mr.  Benedict,  who  engaged  in  a  long  quiet  conversa 
tion  with  Mr.  Fillmore,  was  highly  pleased  with  the 
interview.  A  foreigner,  accustomed  to  court  etiquette, 
is  generally  surprised  at  the  simplicity  which  character- 


SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT.  311 

izes  the  Chief  Magistrate  of  this  Union.  In  1852  I 
called  on  the  President  with  my  friend  the  late  Mr.  Bret- 
tell,  of  London,  who  resided  in  St.  James  Palace,  and 
was  quite  a  worshipper  of  the  Queen,  and  an  ardent 
admirer  of  all  the  dignities  and  ceremonies  of  royalty. 
He  expected  something  of  the  kind  in  visiting  the  Pres 
ident  of  the  United  States,  and  was  highly  pleased  with 
his  disappointment. 

Both  concerts  in  Washington  were  attended  by  the 
President  and  his  family,  and  every  member  of  the  Cab 
inet.  I  noticed,  also,  among  the  audience,  Henry  Clay, 
Benton,  Foote,  Cass  and  General  Scott,  and  nearly  every 
member  of  Congress.  On  the  following  morning,  Miss 
Lind  was  called  upon  by  Mr.  Webster,  Mr.  Clay,  Gen 
eral  Cass,  and  Colonel  Benton,  and  all  parties  were  evi 
dently  gratified.  I  had  introduced  Mr.  Webster  to  her 
in  Boston.  Upon  hearing  one  of  her  wild  mountain 
songs  in  New  York,  and  also  in  Washington,  Mr.  Web 
ster  signified  his  approval  by  rising,  drawing  himself 
up  to  his  full  height,  and  making  a  profound  bow. 
Jenny  was  delighted  by  this  expression  of  praise  from 
the  great  statesman.  When  I  first  introduced  Miss 
Lind  to  Mr.  Webster,  at  the  Revere  House,  in  Boston, 
she  was  greatly  impressed  with  his  manners  and  conver 
sation,  and  after  his  departure,  walked  up  and  down  the 
room  in  great  excitement,  exclaiming :  "  Ah  !  Mr.  Bar- 
num,  that  is  a  man ;  I  have  never  before  seen  such  a 
man ! ?> 

We  visited  the  Capitol  while  both  Houses  were  in 
session.  Miss  Lind  took  the  arm  of  Hon.  C.  F.  Cleve 
land,  representative  from  Connecticut,  and  was  by  him 
escorted  into  various  parts  of  the  Capitol  and  the 
grounds,  with  all  of  which  she  was  much  pleased. 


312  SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT. 

While  I  was  in  Washington  an  odd  reminiscent 
of  my  old  show-days  in  the  South  came  back  to  me 
in  a  curious  way.  Some  years  before,  in  1836,  my 
travelling  show  company  had  stopped  at  a  hotel  in 
Jackson,  Mississippi,  and,  as  the  house  was  crowded, 
soon  after  I  went  to  bed  five  or  six  men  came  into 
the  room  with  cards  and  a  candle  and  asked  permission, 
as  there  was  no  other  place,  to  sit  down  and  play 
a  quiet  game  of  "  brag."  I  consented  on  condition 
that  I  might  get  up  and  participate,  which  was  permit 
ted  and  in  a  very  little  while,  as  I  knew  nothing  what 
ever  of  the  game,  I  lost  fifty  dollars.  Good  "  hands  'r 
and  good  fortune  soon  enabled  me  to  win  back  my 
money,  at  which  point  one  of  the  players  who  had 
been  introduced  to  me  as  "  Lawyer  Foote  "  said  : 

"  Now  the  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  go  back  to 
bed ;  you  do  n't  know  anything  about  the  game,  and 
these  fellows  do,  and  they'll  skin  you." 

I  acted  upon  his  advice.  And  now,  years  afterwards, 
when  Senator  Foote  called  upon  Miss  Lind  the  story 
came  back  to  me,  and  while  I  was  talking  with  him 
I  remarked : 

"  Fifteen  years  ago,  when  I  was  in  the  South,  I  became 
acquainted  with  a  lawyer  named  Foote,  at  Jackson, 
Mississippi." 

"  It  must  have  been  me,"  said  the  Senator,  "  I  am  the 
only  '  lawyer  Foote,  of  Jackson,  Mississippi.' ' 

"  Oh  !  no,  it  could  not  have  been  you,"  and  I  told 
him  the  story. 

"  It  was  me,"  he  whispered  in  my  ear,  and  added, 
"  I  used  to  gamble  like  h — 1  in  those  days." 

During  the  week  I  was  invited  with  Miss  Lind  and 
her  immediate  friends,  to  visit  Mount  Vernon,  with  Col- 


SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT.  313 

onel  Washington,  the  then  proprietor,  and  Mr.  Seaton, 
ex-Mayor  of  Washington,  and  Editor  of  the  Intelligencer. 
Colonel  Washington  chartered  a  steamboat  for  the  pur 
pose.  We  were  landed  a  short  distance  from  the  tomb, 
which  we  first  visited.  Proceeding  to  the  house,  -w? 
were  introduced  to  Mrs.  Washington,  and  several  other 
ladies.  Much  interest  was  manifested  by  Miss  Lind  in 
examining  the  mementoes  of  the  great  man  whose  home 
it  had  been.  A  beautiful  collation  was  spread  out  and 
arranged  in  fine  taste.  Before  leaving,  Mrs.  Washing 
ton  presented  Jenny  with  a  book  from  the  library,  with 
the  name  of  Washington  written  by  his  own  hand.  She 
was  much  overcome  at  receiving  this  present,  called  me 
aside,  and  expressed  her  desire  to  give  something  in 
return.  "I  have  nothing  with  me,"  she  said,  "  except 
ing  this  watch  and  chain,  and  I  will  give  that  if  you 
think  it  will  be  acceptable."  I  knew  the  watch  was 
very  valuable,  and  told  her  that  so  costly  a  present 
would  not  be  expected,  nor  would  it  be  proper.  "  The 
expense  is  nothing,  compared  to  the  value  of  that  book," 
she  replied,  with  deep  emotion  ;  "  but  as  the  watch  was 
a  present  from  a  dear  friend,  perhaps  I  should  not  give 
it  away."  Jenny  Lind,  I  am  sure,  never  forgot  the 
pleasurable  emotions  of  that  day. 

At  Richmond,  half  an  hour  previous  to  her  departure, 
hundreds  of  young  ladies  and  gentlemen  had  crowded 
into  the  halls  of  the  house  to  secure  a  glimpse  of  her  at 
parting.  I  informed  her  that  she  would  find  difficulty 
in  passing  out.  "  How  long  is  it  before  we  must 
start  I  "  she  asked.  "  Half  an  hour,"  I  replied.  u  Oh, 
I  will  clear  the  passages  before  that  time,"  said  she,  with 
a  smile ;  whereupon  she  went  into  the  upper  hall,  and 
informed  the  people  that  she  wished  to  take  the  hands 


314  SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT. 

of  every  one  of  them,  upon  one  condition,  viz  :  they 
should  pass  by  her  in  rotation,  and  as  fast  as  they  had 
shaken  hands,  proceed  down  stairs,  and  not  block  up  the 
passages.  They  joyfully  consented  to  the  arrangement, 
and  in  fifteen  minutes  the  course  was  clear.  Poor  Jenny 
had  shaken  hands  with  every  person  in  the  crowd,  and  I 
presume  she  had  a  feeling  remembrance  of  the  incident 
for  an  hour  or  two  at  least.  She  was  waited  on  by 
many  members  of  the  Legislature  while  in  Richmond, 
that  body  being  in  session  while  we  were  there. 

The  voyage  from  Wilmington  to  Charleston  was  an 
exceedingly  rough  and  perilous  one.  We  were  about 
thirty-six  hours  in  making  the  passage,  the  usual  time 
being  seventeen.  There  was  really  great  danger  of  our 
steamer  being  swamped,  and  we  were  all  apprehensive 
that  we  should  never  reach  the  Port  of  Charleston 
alive.  Some  of  the  passengers  were  in  great  terror. 
Jenny  Lind  exhibited  more  calmness  upon  this  occasion 
than  any  other  person,  the  crew  excepted.  We  arrived 
safely  at  last,  and  I  was  grieved  to  learn  that  for  twelve 
hours  the  loss  of  the  steamer  had  been  considered  cer 
tain,  and  had  even  been  announced  by  telegraph  in  the 
Northern  cities. 

We  remained  at  Charleston  about  ten  days,  to  take 
the  steamer  "Isabella"  on  her  regular  trip  to  Havana. 
Jenny  had  been  through  so  much  excitement  at  the 
North,  that  she  determined  to  have  quiet  here,  and 
therefore  declined  receiving  any  calls.  This  disap 
pointed  many  ladies  and  gentlemen.  One  young  lady, 
the  daughter  of  a  wealthy  planter  near  Augusta,  was  so 
determined  upon  seeing  her  in  private,  that  she  paid 
one  of  the  servants  to  allow  her  to  put  on  a  cap  and 
white  apron,  and  carry  in  the  tray  for  Jenny's  tea.  I 


SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT.  315 

j 

afterwards  told  Miss  Lind  of  the  joke,  and  suggested 
that  after  such  an  evidence  of  admiration,  she  should 
receive  a  call  from  the  young  lady. 

"  It  is  not  admiration  —  it  is  only  curiosity,"  replied 
Jenny,  "  and  I  will  not  encourage  such  folly." 

Christmas  was  at  hand,  and  Jenny  Lind  determined  to 
honor  it  in  the  way  she  had  often  done  in  Sweden.  She 
had  a  beautiful  Christmas  tree  privately  prepared,  and 
from  its  boughs  depended  a  variety  of  presents  for  mem 
bers  of  the  company.  These  gifts  were  encased  in 
paper,  with  the  names  of  the  recipients  written  on  each. 

After  spending  a  pleasant  evening  in  her  drawing- 
room,  she  invited  us  into  the  parlor,  where  the  "  sur 
prise  "  awaited  us.  Each  person  commenced  opening 
the  packages  bearing  his  or  her  address,  and  although 
every  individual  had  one  or  more  pretty  presents,  she 
had  prepared  a  joke  for  each.  Mr.  Benedict,  for 
instance,  took  off  wrapper  after  wrapper  from  one  of 
his  packages,  which  at  first  was  as  large  as  his  head, 
but  after  having  removed  some  forty  coverings  of  paper, 
it  was  reduced  to  a  size  smaller  than  his  hand,  and  the 
removal  of  the  last  envelope  exposed  to  view  a  piece 
of  cavendish  tobacco.  One  of  my  presents,  choicely 
wrapped  in  a  dozen  coverings,  was  a  jolly  young  Bac 
chus  in  Parian  marble,  intended  as  a  pleasant  hit  at  my 
temperance  principles ! 

The  night  before  New  Year's  day  was  spent  in  her 
apartment  with  great  hilarity.  Enlivened  by  music, 
singing,  dancing  and  story-telling,  the  hours  glided 
swiftly  away.  Miss  Lind  asked  me  if  I  would  dance 
with  her.  I  told  her  my  education  had  been  neglected 
in  that  line,  and  that  I  had  never  danced  in  my  life. 
"  That  is  all  the  better,"  said  she ;  "  now  dance  with 

15 


316  SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT. 

me  in  a  cotillion.  I  am  sure  you  can  do  it."  She 
was  a  beautiful  dancer,  and  I  never  saw  her  laugh  more 
heartily  than  she  did  at  my  awkwardness.  She  said 
she  would  give  me  the  credit  of  being  the  poorest 
dancer  she  ever  saw  ! 

About  a  quarter  before  twelve,  Jenny  suddenly 
checked  Mr.  Burke,  — formerly  celebrated  as  the  musi 
cal  prodigy,  "Master  Burke," — who  was  playing  on 
the  piano,  by  saying,  "Pray  let  us  have  quiet;  do  you 
see,  in  fifteen  minutes  more,  this  year  will  be  gone  for 
ever  !  " 

She  immediately  took  a  seat,  and  rested  her  head  up 
on  her  hand  in  silence.  We  all  sat  down,  and  for  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  the  most  profound  quiet  reigned  in 
the  apartment.  The  remainder  of  the  scene  I  transcribe 
from  a  description  written  the  next  day  by  Mrs.  Lyman, 
who  was  present  on  the  occasion  : 

"  The  clock  of  a  neighboring  church  struck  the  knell 
of  the  dying  year.  All  were  silent  —  each  heart  was 
left  to  its  own  communings,  and  the  bowed  head  and 
tearful  eye  told  that  memory  was  busy  with  the  Past.  It 
was  a  brief  moment,  but  thoughts  and  feelings  were 
crowded  into  it,  which  render  it  one  never  to  be  forgot 
ten.  A  moment  more  —  the  last  stroke  of  the  clock 
had  fallen  upon  the  ear  —  the  last  faint  vibration  ceased  ; 
another  period  of  time  had  passed  forever  away  —  a 
new  one  had  dawned,  in  which  each  felt  that  they  were 
to  live  and  act.  This  thought  recalled  them  to  a  full 
consciousness  of  the  present,  and  all  arose  and  quietly, 
but  cordially,  presented  to  each  other  the  kind  wishes 
of  the  season.  As  the  lovely  hostess  pressed  the  hands 
of  her  guests,  it  was  evident  that  she,  too,  had  wept,  - 
she,  the  gifted,  the  admired,  the  almost  idolized  one. 


SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT.  317 

Had  she,  too,  cause  for  tears  ?  Whence  were  they  1  — 
from  the  overflowings  of  a  grateful  heart,  from  tender 
associations,  or  from  sad  remembrances'?  None  knew, 
none  could  ask,  though  they  awakened  deep  and  pecu 
liar  sympathy.  And  from  one  heart,  at  least,  arose  the 
prayer,  that  when  the  dial  of  time  should  mark  the  last 
hour  of  her  earthly  existence,  she  should  greet  its  ap 
proach  with  joy  and  not  with  grief — that  to  her  soul 
spirit- voices  might  whisper,  *  Come,  sweet  sister !  come 
to  the  realms  of  unfading  light  and  love  —  come,  join 
your  seraphic  tones  with  ours,  in  singing  the  praises  of 
Him  who  loved  us,  and  gave  himself  for  us ' —  while 
she,  with  meekly-folded  hands  and  faith-uplifted  eye, 
should  answer,  c  Yes,  gladly  and  without  fear  I  come,  for 
T  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth.' ?: 

I  had  arranged  with  a  man  in  New  York  to  transport 
furniture  to  Havana,  provide  a  house,  and  board  Jenny 
Lind  and  our  immediate  party  during  our  stay.  When 
we  arrived,  we  found  the  building  converted  into  a  semi- 
hotel,  and  the  apartments  were  any  thing  but  comfort 
able.  Jenny  was  vexed.  Soon  after  dinner,  she  took  a 
volante  and  an  interpreter,  and  drove  into  the 
suburbs.  She  was  absent  four  hours.  Whither  or  why 
she  had  gone,  none  of  us  knew.  At  length  she  returned 
and  informed  us  that  she  had  hired  a  commodious  fur 
nished  house  in  a  delightful  location  outside  the  walls  of 
the  city,  and  invited  us  all  to  go  and  live  with  her  during 
our  stay  in  Havana,  and  we  accepted  the  invitation. 
She  was  now  freed  from  all  annoyances ;  her  time  was 
her  own,  she  received  no  calls,  went  and  came  when  she 
pleased,  had  no  meddlesome  advisers  about  her,  legal  or 
otherwise,  and  was  as  merry  as  a  cricket.  We  had  a 
large  court-yard  in  the  rear  of  the  house,  and  here  she 


318  SUCCESSFUL  MANAGEMENT. 

would  come  and  romp  and  run,  sing  and  laugh,  like  a 
young  school-girl.  "Now,  Mr.  Barnum,  for  another 
game  of  ball,"  she  would  say  half  a  dozen  times  a  day ; 
whereupon,  she  would  take  an  india-rubber  ball,  (of 
which  she  had  two  or  three,)  and  commence  a  game  of 
throwing  and  catching,  which  would  be  kept  up  until, 
being  completely  tired  out,  I  would  say,  "  I  give  it  up." 
Then  her  rich,  musical  laugh  would  be  heard  ringing 
through  the  house,  as  she  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  Mr.  Barnum, 
you  are  too  fat  and  too  lazy  ;  you  cannot  stand  it  to  play 
ball  with  me  !  " 

Her  celebrated  countrywoman,  Miss  Frederika  Bremer, 
spent  a  few  days  with  us  very  pleasantly,  and  it  is  diffi 
cult  to  conceive  of  a  more  delightful  month  than  was 
passed  by  the  entire  party  at  Jenny  Lind's  house  in  the 
outskirts  of  Havana. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

INCIDENTS  OF  THE    TOUR 

PROTEST  AGAINST  PRICES  IN  HAVANA  —  THE  CUBANS  SUCCUMB  —  JENNY  LIND 
TAKES  THE  CITY  BY  STORM  —  A  MAGNIFICENT  TRIUMPH  —  COUNT  PENALVER 
—  A  SPLENDID  OFFER — MR.  BRINCKERHOFF  —  BENEFIT  FOR  THE  HOSPITALS  — 
REFUSING  TO  RECEIVE  THANKS — VIVALLA  AND  HIS  DOG  —  HENRY  BENNETT  — 
HIS  PARTIAL  INSANITY  —  OUR  VOYAGE  TO  NEW  ORLEANS  —  THE  EDITOR  OF 
THE  NEW  YORK  HERALD  ON  BOARD  —  I  SAVE  THE  LIFE  OF  JAMES  GORDON 
BENNETT — ARRIVAL  AT  THE  CRESCENT  CITY  —  CHEATING  THE  CROWD — A 
DUPLICATE  MISS  LIND  —  A  BOY  IN  RAPTURES — A  MAMMOTH  HOG  —  UP  THE 
MISSISSIPPI  — AMUSEMENTS  ON  BOARD— IN  LEAGUE  WITH  THE  EVIL  ONE  — 
AN  AMAZED  MULATTO, 

SOON  after  arriving  in  Havana,  I  discovered  that  a 
strong  prejudice  existed  against  our  musical  enterprise. 
I  might  rather  say  that  the  Habaneros,  not  accustomed 
to  the  high  figure  which  tickets  had  commanded  in  the 
States,  were  determined  on  forcing  me  to  adopt  their 
opera  prices,  whereas  I  paid  one  thousand  dollars  per 
night  for  the  Tacon  Opera  House,  and  other  expenses 
being  in  proportion,  I  was  determined  to  receive  remu 
nerating  prices,  or  give  no  concerts.  This  determina 
tion  on  my  part  annoyed  the  Habaneros,  who  did  not 
wish  to  be  thought  penurious,  though  they  really  were 
so.  Their  principal  spite,  therefore,  was  against  me  ; 
and  one  of  their  papers  politely  termed  me  a  "  Yankee 
pirate,"  who  cared  for  nothing  except  their  doubloons. 
They  attended  the  concert,  but  were  determined  to 
show  the  great  songstress  no  favor.  I  perfectly  under 
stood  this  feeling  in  advance,  but  studiously  kept  all 


320  INCIDENTS  OF   THE  TOUR. 

knowledge  of  it  from  Miss  Lind.  I  went  to  the  first 
concert,  therefore,  with  some  misgivings  in  regard  to 
her  reception.  The  following,  which  I  copy  from  the 
Havana  correspondence  of  the  New  York  Tribune ,  gives 

a  correct  account  of  it  : 

******** 

"Jenny  Lind  soon  appeared,  led  on  by  Signor  Belletti.  Some  three  or  four 
hundred  persons  clapped  their  hands  at  her  appearance,  but  this  token  of  appro 
bation  was  instantly  silenced  by  at  least  two  thousand  five  hundred  decided  hisses. 
Thus,  having  settled  the  matter  that  there  should  be  no  forestalling  of  public 
opinion,  and  that  if  applause  Avas  given  to  Jenny  Lind  in  that  house  it  should 
first  be  incontestably  earned,  the  most  solemn  silence  prevailed.  I  have  heard 
the  Swedish  Nightingale  often  in  Europe  as  well  as  in  America  and  have 
ever  noticed  a  distinct  tremulousness  attending  her  first  appearance  in  any  city. 
Indeed  this  feeling  was  plainly  manifested  in  her  countenance  as  she  neared  the 
foot-lights ;  but  when  she  witnessed  the  kind  of  reception  in  store  for  her  —  so 
different  from  anything  she  had  reason  to  expect  —  her  countenance  changed  in 
an  instant  to  a  haughty  self-possession,  her  eye  flashed  defiance,  and,  becoming 
immovable  as  a  statue,  she  stood  there,  perfectly  calm  and  beautiful.  She  was 
satisfied  that  she  now  had  an  ordeal  to  pass  and  a  victory  to  gain  worthy  of  her 
powers.  In  a  moment  her  eye  scanned  the  immense  audience,  the  music  began 
and  then  followed  —  how  can  I  describe  it?  —  such  heavenly  strains  as  I  verily 
believe  mortal  never  breathed  except  Jenny  Lind,  and  mortal  never  heard  except 
from  her  lips.  Some  of  the  oldest  Castilians  kept  a  frown  upon  their  brow  and  a 
curling  sneer  upon  their  lip ;  their  ladies,  however,  and  most  of  the  audience 
began  to  look  surprised.  The  gushing  melody  flowed  on  increasing  in  beauty  and 
glory.  The  caballeros,  the  senoras  and  senoritas  began  to  look  at  each  other; 
nearly  all,  however,  kept  their  teeth  clenched  and  their  lips  closed,  evidently  deter 
mined  to  resist  to  the  last.  The  torrent  flowed  deeper  and  faster,  the  lark  flew 
higher  and  higher,  the  melody  grew  richer  and  grander ;  still  every  lip  was  com 
pressed.  By  and  by,  as  the  rich  notes  came  dashing  in  rivers  upon  our  enraptured 
ears,  one  poor  critic  involuntarily  whispered  a  'brava.'  This  outbursting  of  the 
soul  was  instantly  hissed  down.  The  stream  of  harmony  rolled  on  till,  at  the 
close,  it  made  a  clean  sweep  of  every  obstacle,  and  carried  all  before  it.  Not  a 
vestige  of  opposition  remained,  but  such  a  tremendous  shout  of  applause  as  went 
up  I  never  before  heard. 

"The  triumph  was  most  complete.  And  how  was  Jenny  Lind  affected?  She 
who  stood  a  few  moments  previous  like  adamant,  now  trembled  like  a  reed  in 
the  wind  before  the  storm  of  enthusiasm  which  her  own  simple  notes  had  pro 
duced.  Tremblingly,  slowly,  and  almost  bowing  her  face  to  the  ground,  she 
withdrew.  The  roar  and  applause  of  victory  increased.  '  Encore  !  encore  !  encore  I ' 
came  from  every  lip.  She  again  appeared,  and,  courtesying  low,  again  withdrew, 
but  again,  again,  and  again  did  they  call  her  out  and  at  every  appearance  the 
thunders  of  applause  rang  louder  and  louder.  Thus  five  times  was  Jenny  Lind 
called  out  to  receive  their  unanimous  and  deafening  plaudits." 

I  cannot  express  what  my  feelings  were  as  I  watched 
this  scene  from  the  dress  circle.  Poor  Jenny  !  I  deeply 


INCIDENTS   OF  THE  TOUB.  321 

sympathized  with  her  when  I  heard  that  first  hiss.  1 
indeed  observed  the  resolute  bearing  which  she  assumed, 
but  was  apprehensive  of  the  result.  When  I  witnessed 
her  triumph,  I  could  not  restrain  the  tears  of  joy  that 
rolled  down  my  cheeks ;  and  rushing  through  a  private 
box,  I  reached  the  stage  just  as  she  was  withdrawing 
after  the  fifth  encore.  "  God  bless  you,  Jenny,  you  have 
settled  them  !  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  Are  you  satisfied  I "  said  she,  throwing  her  arms 
around  my  neck.  She,  too,  was  crying  with  joy,  and 
never  before  did  she  look  so  beautiful  in  my  eyes  as  on 
that  evening. 

One  of  the  Havana  papers,  notwithstanding  the  great 
triumph,  continued  to  cry  out  for  low  prices.  This 
induced  many  to  absent  themselves,  expecting  soon  to 
see  a  reduction.  It  had  been  understood  that  we  would 
give  twelve  concerts  in  Havana ;  but  when  they  saw, 
after  the  fourth  concert,  which  was  devoted  to  charity, 
that  no  more  were  announced,  they  became  uneasy. 
Committees  waited  upon  us  requesting  more  concerts, 
but  we  peremptorily  declined.  Some  of  the  leading 
Dons,  among  whom  was  Count  Penal ver,  then  offered  to 
guarantee  us  $25,000  for  three  concerts.  My  reply  was, 
that  there  was  not  money  enough  on  the  island  of  Cuba 
to  induce  me  to  consent  to  it.  That  settled  the  matter, 
and  gave  us  a  pleasant  opportunity  for  recreation. 

We  visited,  by  invitation,  Mr.  Brinckerhoff,  the  emi 
nent  American  merchant  at  Matanzas,  whom  I  had  met 
at  the  same  place  three  years  previously,  and  who  sub 
sequently  had  visited  my  family  in  Connecticut.  The 
gentlemanly  host  did  everything  in  his  power  to  render 
our  stay  agreeable ;  and  Miss  Lind  was  so  delighted 
with  his  attentions  and  the  interesting  details  of  sugar 


322  INCIDENTS   OF  THE  TOUR 

and  coffee  plantations  which  we  visited  through  his 
kindness,  that  as  soon  as  she  returned  to  Havana,  she 
sent  on  the  same  tour  of  pleasure  Mr.  Benedict,  who 
had  been  prevented  by  illness  from  accompanying  us. 

I  found  my  little  Italian  plate-dancer,  Vivalla,  in 
Havana.  He  called  on  me  frequently.  He  was  in 
great  distress,  having  lost  the  use  of  his  limbs  on  the 
left  side  of  his  body  by  paralysis.  He  was  thus  unable 
to  earn  a  livelihood,  although  he  still  kept  a  performing 
dog,  which  turned  a  spinning-wheel  and  performed  some 
curious  tricks.  One  day,  as  I  was  passing  him  out  of 
the  front  gate,  Miss  Lind  inquired  who  he  was.  I 
briefly  recounted  to  her  his  history.  She  expressed 
deep  interest  in  his  case,  and  said  something  should  be 
set  apart  for  him  in  the  benefit  which  she  was  about  to 
give  for  charity.  Accordingly,  when  the  benefit  came 
off,  Miss  Lind  appropriated  $500  to  him,  and  I  made 
the  necessary  arrangements  for  his  return  to  his  friends 
in  Italy.  At  the  same  benefit  $4,000  were  distributed 
between  two  hospitals  and  a  convent. 

A  few  mornings  after  the  benefit  our  bell  was  rung, 
and  the  servant  announced  that  I  was  wanted.  I  went 
to  the  door  and  found  a  large  procession  of  children, 
neatly  dressed  and  bearing  banners,  attended  by  ten  or 
twelve  priests,  arrayed  in  their  rich  and  flowing  robes. 
I  inquired  their  business,  and  was  informed  that  they 
had  come  to  see  Miss  Lind,  to  thank  her  in  person  for 
her  benevolence.  I  took  their  message,  and  informed 
Miss  Lind  that  the  leading  priests  of  the  convent  had 
come  in  great  state  to  see  and  thank  her.  "  I  will  not 
see  them,"  she  replied ;  "  they  have  nothing  to  thank 
me  for.  If  I  have  done  good,  it  is  no  more  than 
my  duty,  and  it  is  my  pleasure.  I  do  not  deserve  their 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  TOUR  323 

thanks,  and  I  will  not  see  them."  I  returned  her 
answer,  and  the  leaders  of  the  grand  procession  went 
away  in  disappointment. 

The  same  day  Vivalla  called,  and  brought  her  a  basket 
of  the  most  luscious  fruit  that  he  could  procure.  The 
little  fellow  was  very  happy  and  extremely  grateful. 
Miss  Lind  had  gone  out  for  a  ride. 

"  God  bless  her !  I  am  so  happy ;  she  is  such  a  good 
lady.  I  shall  see  my  brothers  and  sisters  again.  Oh, 
she  is  a  very  good  lady,"  said  poor  Vivalla,  overcome  by 
his  feelings.  He  begged  me  to  thank  her  for  him,  and 
give  her  the  fruit.  As  he  was  passing  out  of  the  door, 
he  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  said,  "  Mr.  Barnum,  I 
should  like  so  much  to  have  the  good  lady  see  my  dog 
turn  a  wheel ;  it  is  very  nice ;  he  can  spin  very  good. 
Shall  I  bring  the  dog  and  wheel  for  her  ]  She  is  such 
a  good  lady,  I  wish  to  please  her  very  much."  I  smiled, 
and  told  him  she  would  not  care  for  the  dog ;  that  he 
was  quite  welcome  to  the  money,  and  that  she  refused 
to  see  the  priests  from  the  convent  that  morning, 
because  she  never  received  thanks  for  favors. 

When  Jenny  came  in  I  gave  her  the  fruit,  and  laugh 
ingly  told  her  that  Vivalla  wished  to  show  her  how  his 
performing  dog  could  turn  a  spinning-wheel. 

"  Poor  man,  poor  man,  do  let  him  come  ;  it  is  all  the 
good  creature  can  do  for  me,"  exclaimed  Jenny,  and  the 
tears  flowed  thick  and  fast  down  her  cheeks.  "  I  like 
that,  I  like  that,"  she  continued  ;  "do  let  the  poor  crea 
ture  come  and  bring  his  dog.  It  will  make  him  so 
happy." 

I  confess  it  made  me  happy,  and  I  exclaimed,  for  my 
heart  was  full,  "  God  bless  you,  it  will  make  him  cry  for 
joy  ;  he  shall  come  to-morrow." 

15* 


324  INCIDENTS   OF   THE   TOUR. 

I  saw  Vivalla  the  same  evening,  and  delighted  him 
with  the  intelligence  that  Jenny  would  see  his  dog  per 
form  the  next  day,  at  four  o'clock  precisely. 

"  I  will  be  punctual,"  said  Vivalla,  in  a  voice  trem 
bling  with  emotion  ;  "  but  I  was  sure  she  would  like  to 
see  my  dog  perform." 

For  full  half  an  hour  before  the  time  appointed  did 
Jenny  Lind  sit  in  her  window  on  the  second  floor  and 
watch  for  Vivalla  and  his  dog.  A  few  minutes  before 
the  appointed  hour,  she  saw  him  coming.  "  Ah,  here 
he  comes  !  here  he  comes !  "  she  exclaimed  in  delight,  as 
she  ran  down  stairs  and  opened  the  door  to  admit  him. 
A  negro  boy  was  bringing  the  small  spinning-wheel, 
while  Vivalla  led  the  dog.  Handing  the  boy  a  silver 
coin,  she  motioned  him  away,  and  taking  the  wheel  in 
her  arms,  she  said,  "  This  is  very  kind  of  you  to  come 
with  your  dog.  Follow  me.  I  will  carry  the  wheel 
up  stairs."  Her  servant  offered  to  take  the  wheel,  but 
no,  she  would  let  no  one  carry  it  but  herself.  She 
called  us  all  up  to  her  parlor,  and  for  one  full  hour  did 
she  devote  herself  to  the  happy  Italian.  She  went 
down  on  her  knees  to  pet  the  dog  and  to  ask  Vivalla  all 
sorts  of  questions  about  his  performances,  his  former 
course  of  life,  his  friends  in  Italy,  and  his  present  hopes 
and  determinations.  Then  she  sang  and  played  for  him, 
gave  him  some  refreshments,  finally  insisted  on  carrying 
his  wheel  to  the  door,  and  her  servant  accom 
panied  Vivalla  to  his  boarding-house. 

Poor  Vivalla !  He  was  probably  never  so  happy 
before,  but  his  enjoyment  did  not  exceed  that  of  Miss 
Lind.  That  scene  alone  would  have  paid  me  for  all  my 
labors  during  the  entire  musical  campaign.  A  few 
months  later,  however,  the  Havana  correspondent  of  the 


INCIDENTS   OF  THE  TOUR. 

New  York  Herald  announced  the  death  of  Vivalla  and 
stated  that  the  poor  Italian's  last  words  were  about 
Jenny  Lind  and  Mr.  Barnum. 

When  Captain  Rawlings,  of  the  Steamer  "  Isabella  " 
made  his  next  return  trip  from  Charleston,  he  brought 
a  fine  lot  of  game  and  invited  Messrs.  Benedict, 
Belletti  and  myself  to  a  breakfast  on  board,  where 
we  met  Mr.  John  Howard,  of  the  Irving  House, 
New  York,  Mr.  J.  B.  Monnot,  of  the  New  York 
Hotel,  Mr.  Mixer,  of  the  Charleston  Hotel,  and  Mr. 
Monroe  of  one  of  the  Havana  hotels.  The  break 
fast  was  a  very  nice  one,  and  was  accompanied  by 
some  "  very  fine  old  Madeira,"  which  received  the 
highest  encomiums  of  the  company. 

"  Now,"  said  Captain  Ilawlings,  "  you  must  break 
your  rule  once,  Mr.  Barnum,  and  wash  down  your 
game  with  a  glass  or  two  of  this  choice  Madeira.  It 
is  very  old  and  fine,  as  smooth  as  oil,  and  the 
game  is  hardly  game  without  it.  Do  take  some." 

I  positively  declined,  saying  I  did  not  doubt  that 
he  had  the  genuine  article  for  once,  but  that  most 
of  what  was  offered  and  sold  as  wine  did  not  con 
tain  a  single  drop  of  the  juice  of  the  grape.  This 
led  to  a  general  talk  about  the  impositions  practised, 
even  in  the  best  hotels,  in  serving  customers  with 
"  fine  old  wines  and  liquors  "  at  the  bar  and  at  the 
table,  and  some  very  curious  and  amusing  stories 
were  told  and  confessions  made.  But  there  could  be 
no  mistake  about  this  Madeira  ;  it  was  rich,  rare,  old, 
oily,  and  genuine  in  flavor  and  quality  ;  all  the  connois 
seurs  at  the  table  were  unanimous  in  their  verdict. 

But  when  the  breakfast  was  over  and  we  were  going 
ashore,  as  I  was  sitting  next  the  captain  in  his  own 
boat,  he  said  to  nifi  r 


326 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  TOUR 


"  Barnum,  that  fine  old  Madeira  is  the  real  e  game  * 
of  my  game  breakfast ;  I  wanted  to  test  those  experi 
enced  tasters,  and  I  gave  them  some  wine  which  I 
bought  for  a  dollar  and  a  half  a  gallon  at  a  corner 
grocery  in  Charleston." 

In  the  party  which  accompanied  me  to  Havana,  was 
Mr.  Henry  Bennett,  who  formerly  kept  Peale's  Museum 
in  New  York,  afterwards  managing  the  same  establish 
ment  for  me  when  I  purchased  it,  and  he  was  now  with 
me  in  the  capacity  of  a  ticket-taker.  He  was  as  honest 
a  man  as  ever  lived,  and  a  good  deal  of  a  wag.  I 
remember  his  going  through  the  market  once  and  run 
ning  across  a  decayed  actor  who  was  reduced  to  tending 
a  market  stand ;  Bennett  hailed  him  with  "  Hallo !  what 
are  you  doing  here  ;  what  are  you  keeping  that  old  tur 
key  for  ? " 

"  O  !  for  a  profit,"  replied  the  actor. 

"Prophet,  prophet!"  exclaimed  Bennett,  "patriarch, 
you  mean ! "' 

With  all  his  waggery  he  was  subject  at  times  to  moods 
of  the  deepest  despondency,  bordering  on  insanity. 
Madness  ran  in  his  family.  His  brother,  in  a  fit  of 
frenzy,  had  blown  his  brains  out.  Henry  himself  had 
twice  attempted  his  own  life  while  in  my  employ  in 
New  York.  Some  time  after  our  present  journey  to  Ha 
vana,  I  sent  him  to  London.  He  conducted  my  business 
precisely  as  I  directed,  writing  up  his  account  with  me 
correctly  to  a  penny.  Then  handing  it  to  a  mutual 
friend  with  directions  to  give  it  to  me  when  I  arrived  in 
London  the  following  week,  he  went  to  his  lodgings  and 
committed  suicide. 

While  we  were  in  Havana,  Bennett  was  so  despon 
dent  at  times  that  we  were  obliged  to  watch  him  care- 


INCIDENTS   OF  THE   TOUR.  327 

fully,  lest  he  should  do  some  damage  to  himself  or 
others.  When  we  left  Havana  for  New  Orleans,  on 
board  the  steamer  "  Falcon,"  Mr.  James  Gordon  Ben 
nett,  editor  of  the  New  York  Herald,  and  his  wife  were 
also  passengers.  After  permitting  one  favorable  notice 
in  his  paper,  Bennett  had  turned  around,  as  usual,  and 
had  abused  Jenny  Lind  and  bitterly  attacked  me. 
There  was  an  estrangement,  no  new  thing,  between  the 
editor  and  myself.  The  Herald,  in  its  desire  to  excite 
attention,  has  a  habit  of  attacking  public  men  and  I  had 
not  escaped.  I  was  always  glad  to  get  such  notices, 
for  they  served  as  inexpensive  advertisements  to  my 
Museum,  and  brought  custom  to  me  free  of  charge. 

Ticket-taker  Bennett,  however,  took  much  to  heart 
the  attacks  of  Editor  Bennett  upon  Jenny  Lind,  and 
while  in  New  York  he  threatened  to  cowhide  his  name 
sake,  as  so  many  men  have  actually  done  in  days  gone 
by,  but  I  restrained  him.  When  Editor  Bennett  came 
on  board  the  "  Falcon,"  he  had  in  his  arms  a  small  pet 
monkey  belonging  to  his  wife,  and  the  animal  was 
placed  in  a  safe  place  on  the  forward  deck.  When 
Henry  Bennett  saw  the  editor  he  said  to  a  bystander  : 

"  I  would  willingly  be  drowned  if  I  could  see  that 
old  scoundrel  go  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea." 

Several  of  our  party  overheard  the  remark  and  I 
turned  laughingly  to  Bennett  and  said  :  "  Nonsense  ;  ho 
can't  harm  any  one  and  there  is  an  old  proverb  about  the 
impossibility  of  drowning  those  who  are  born  to  another 
fate." 

That  very  night,  however,  as  I  stood  near  the  cabin 
door,  conversing  with  my  treasurer  and  other  members 
of  my  company,  Henry  Bennett  came  up  to  me  with  a 
wild  air,  and  hoarsely  whispered : 


328  INCIDENTS  OF  THE  TOUR. 

u  Old  Bennett  has  gone  forward  alone  in  the  dark  to 
feed  his  monkey,  and  d — n  him,  I  am  going  to  throw 
him  overboard." 

We  were  all  startled,  for  we  knew  the  man  and  he 
seemed  terribly  in  earnest.  Knowing  how  most  effect 
ively  to  address  him  at  such  times,  I  exclaimed . 

"  Ridiculous  !  you  would  not  do  such  a  thing." 

"  I  swear  I  will,"  was  his  savage  reply.  I  expostu 
lated  with  him,  and  several  of  our  party  joined  me. 

"  Nobody  will  know  it,"  muttered  the  maniac,  "  and 
I  shall  be  doing  the  world  a  favor." 

I  endeavored  to  awaken  him  to  a  sense  of  the  crime 
he  contemplated,  assuring  him  that  it  could  not  possibly 
benefit  any  one,  and  that  from  the  fact  of  the  relations 
existing  between  the  editor  and  myself,  I  should  be  the 
first  to  be  accused  of  his  murder.  I  implored  him  to  go 
to  his  stateroom,  and  he  finally  did  so,  accompanied  by 
some  of  the  gentlemen  of  our  party.  I  took  pains  to 
see  that  he  was  carefully  watched  that  night,  and, 
indeed,  for  several  days,  till  he  became  calm  again.  He 
was  a  large,  athletic  man,  quite  able  to  pick  up  his 
namesake  and  drop  him  overboard.  The  matter  was 
too  serious  for  a  joke,  and  we  made  little  mention  of 
it ;  but  more  than  one  of  my  party  said  then,  and  has 
said  since,  what  I  really  believe  to  be  true,  that  "  James 
Gordon  Bennett  would  have  been  drowned  that  night 
had  it  not  been  for  P.  T.  Barnum." 

This  incident  has  long  been  known  to  several  of  my 
intimate  friends,  and  when  Mr.  Bennett  learns  the  fact 
from  this  volume,  he  may  possibly  be  somewhat  mollified 
over  his  payment  to  me,  fifteen  years  later,  of  $'200,000 
for  the  unexpired  lease  of  my  Museum,  concerning 
which  some  particulars  will  be  given  anon. 


INCIDENTS   OF  THE  TOUR  329 

In  New  Orleans  the  wharf  was  crowded  by  a  great 
concourse  of  persons,  as  the  steamer  " Falcon"  ap 
proached.  Jenny  Lind  had  enjoyed  a  month  of  quiet, 
and  dreaded  the  excitement  which  she  must  now 
again  encounter. 

"Mr.  Barnum,  I  am  sure  I  can  never  get  through 
that  crowd,"  said  she,  in  despair. 

"  Leave  that  to  me.  Remain  quiet  for  ten  minutes, 
and  there  shall  be  no  crowd  here,"  I  replied. 

Taking  my  daughter  on  my  arm,  she  threw  her 
veil  over  her  face,  and  we  descended  the  gangway 
to  the  dock.  The  crowd  pressed  around.  I  had 
beckoned  for  a  carriage  before  leaving  the  ship. 

"That's  Barnum,  I  know  him,"  called  out  several 
persons  at  the  top  of  their  voices. 

"  Open  the  way,  if  you  please,  for  Mr.  Barnum 
and  Miss  Lind !"  cried  Le  Grand  Smith  over  the 
railing  of  the  ship,  the  deck  of  which  he  had  just 
reached  from  the  wharf. 

"  Don't  crowd  her,  if  you  please,  gentlemen,"  I  ex 
claimed,  and  by  dint  of  pushing,  squeezing  and  coax 
ing,  we  reached  the  carriage,  and  drove  for  the 
Montalba  buildings,  where  Miss  Lind's  apartments  had 
been  prepared,  and  the  whole  crowd  came  following  at 
our  heels.  In  a  few  minutes  afterwards,  Jenny  and  her 
companion  came  quietly  in  a  carriage,  and  were  in  the 
house  before  the  ruse  was  discovered.  In  answer 
to  incessant  calls,  she  appeared  a  moment  upon  the 
balcony,  waved  her  handkerchief,  received  three  hearty 
cheers,  and  the  crowd  dispersed. 

A  poor  blind  boy,  residing  in  the  interior  of  Missis 
sippi,  a  flute-player,  and  an  ardent  lover  of  music, 
visited  New  Orleans  expressly  to  hear  Jenny  Lind. 


330  INCIDENTS  OF  THE  TOUR 

A  subscription  had  been  taken  up  among  his  neighbors 
to  defray  the  expenses.  This  fact  coming  to  the  ears 
of  Jenny,  she  sent  for  him,  played  and  sang  for  him, 
gave  him  many  words  of  joy  and  comfort,  took  him 
to  her  concerts,  and  sent  him  away  considerably  richer 
than  he  had  ever  been  before. 

A  funny  incident  occurred  at  New  Orleans.  Our 
concerts  were  given  in  the  St.  Charles  Theatre,  then 
managed  by  my  good  friend,  the  late  Sol.  Smith.  In 
the  open  lots  near  the  theatre  were  exhibitions  of 
mammoth  hogs,  five-footed  horses,  grizzly  bears,  and 
other  animals. 

A  gentleman  had  a  son  about  twelve  years  old,  who 
had  a  wonderful  ear  for  music.  He  could  whistle  or 
sing  any  tune  after  hearing  it  once.  His  father  did  not 
know  nor  care  for  a  single  note,  but  so  anxious  was  he 
to  please  his  son,  that  he  paid  thirty  dollars  for  two 
tickets  to  the  concert. 

"  I  liked  the  music  better  than  I  expected,"  said  he  to 
me  the  next  day,  "  but  my  son  was  in  raptures.  He 
was  so  perfectly  enchanted  that  he  scarcely  spoke  the 
whole  evening  and  I  would  on  no  account  disturb  his 
delightful  reveries.  When  the  concert  was  finished  we 
came  out  of  the  theatre.  Not  a  word  was  spoken.  I 
knew  that  my  musical  prodigy  was  happy  among  the 
clouds,  and  I  said  nothing.  I  could  not  help  envying  him 
his  love  of  music,  and  considered  my  thirty  dollars  as 
nothing,  compared  to  the  bliss  which  it  secured  to  him. 
Indeed,  I  was  seriously  thinking  of  taking  him  to  the 
next  concert,  when  he  spoke.  We  were  just  passing  the 
numerous  shows  upon  the  vacant  lots.  One  of  the  signs 
attracted  him,  and  he  said,  e  Father,  let  us  go  in  and  see 
the  big  hog  !  '  The  little  scamp  !  I  could  have  horse- 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  TOUR 

whipped  him!"  said  the  father,  who,  loving  a  joke, 
could  not  help  laughing  at  the  ludicrous  incident. 

Some  months  afterwards,  I  was  relating  this  story  at 
my  own  table  to  several  guests,  among  whom  was  a  very 
matter-of-fact  man  who  had  not  the  faintest  conception 
of  humor.  After  the  whole  party  had  laughed  heartily 
at  the  anecdote,  my  matter-of-fact  friend  gravely  asked  : 

"  And  was  it  a  very  large  hog,  Mr.  Barnum  ?  " 

I  made  arrangements  with  the  captain  of  the  splen 
did  steamer  "  Magnolia,"  of  Louisville,  to  take  our  party 
as  far  as  Cairo,  the  junction  of  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio 
rivers,  stipulating  for  sufficient  delay  in  Natchez,  Mis 
sissippi,  and  in  Memphis,  Tennessee,  to  give  a  concert 
in  each  place.  It  was  no  unusual  thing  for  me  to  char 
ter  a  steamboat  or  a  special  train  of  cars  for  our  party. 
With  such  an  enterprise  as  that,  time  and  comfort  were 
paramount  to  money. 

The  time  on  board  the  steamer  was  whiled  away  in 
reading,  viewing  the  scenery  of  the  Mississippi,  and 
other  diversions.  One  day  we  had  a  pleasant  musical 
festival  in  the  ladies'  saloon  for  the  gratification  of  the 
passengers,  at  which  Jenny  volunteered  to  sing  without 
ceremony.  It  seemed  to  us  she  never  sang  so  sweetly 
before.  I  also  did  rny  best  to  amuse  my  fellow  passen 
gers  with  anecdotes  and  the  exhibition  of  sundry 
legerdemain  tricks  which  I  had  been  obliged  to  learn 
and  use  in  the  South  years  before  and  under  far  differ 
ent  circumstances  than  those  which  attended  the  per 
formance  now.  Among  other  tricks,  I  caused  a  quarter 
of  a  dollar  to  disappear  so  mysteriously  from  beneath  a 
card,  that  the  mulatto  barber  on  board  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  I  was  in  league  with  the  devil. 

The  next  morning  I  seated  myself  for  the  operation 


332  INCIDENTS  OF  THE  TOUR. 

of  shaving,  and  the  colored  gentleman  ventured  to  dip 
into  the  mystery.  "  Beg  pardon,  Mr.  Barnum,  but  I 
have  heard  a  great  deal  about  you,  and  I  saw  more  than 
I  wanted  to  see  last  night.  Is  it  true  that  you  have  sold 
yourself  to  the  devil,  so  that  you  can  do  what  you've  a 
mind  to  1 " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  was  my  reply,  "  that  is  the  bargain 
between  us." 

"  How  long  did  you  agree  for  ] "  was  the  question 
next  in  order. 

"  Only  nine  years,"  said  I.  "  I  have  had  three  of  them 
already.  Before  the  other  six  are  out,  I  shall  find  a 
way  to  nonplus  the  old  gentleman,  and  I  have  told  him 
so  to  his  face." 

At  this  avowal,  a  larger  space  of  white  than  usual 
was  seen  in  the  darkey's  eyes,  and  he  inquired,  "  Is  it 
by  this  bargain  that  you  get  so  much  money  ? " 

"  Certainly.  No  matter  who  has  money,  nor  where 
he  keeps  it,  in  his  box  or  till,  or  anywhere  about  him, 
I  have  only  to  speak  the  words,  and  it  comes." 

The  shaving  was  completed  in  silence,  but  thought 
had  been  busy  in  the  barber's  mind,  and  he  embraced 
the  speediest  opportunity  to  transfer  his  bag  of  coin  to 
the  iron  safe  in  charge  of  the  clerk. 

The  movement  did  not  escape  me,  and  immediately  a 
joke  was  afoot.  I  had  barely  time  to  make  two  or  three 
details  of  arrangement  with  the  clerk,  and  resume  my 
seat  in  the  cabin,  ere  the  barber  sought  a  second  inter 
view,  bent  on  testing  the  alleged  powers  of  Beelze 
bub's  colleague. 

"  Beg  pardon,  Mr.  Barnum,  but  where  is  my  money  1 
Can  you  get  it  1 " 

"  I  do  not  want  your  money,"  was  the  quiet  answer 
u  It  is  safe." 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  TOUR.  333 

"  Yes,  I  know  it  is  safe — ha!  ha!  —  it  is  in  the 
iron  safe  in  the  clerk's  office  —  safe  enough  from 
you!" 

"It  is  not  in  the  iron  safe !  "  said  I.  This  was  said 
so  quietly,  yet  positively,  that  the  colored  gentleman 
ran  to  the  office,  and  inquired  if  all  was  safe.  "  All 
right,"  said  the  clerk.  "  Open,  and  let  me  see,"  replied 
the  barber.  The  safe  was  unlocked  and  lo !  the  money 
was  gone  ! 

In  mystified  terror  the  loser  applied  to  me  for  relief. 
"  You  will  find  the  bag  in  your  drawer,"  said  I,  and 
there  it  was  found ! 

Of  course,  I  had  a  confederate,  but  the  mystifica 
tion  of  that  mulatto  was  immense. 


CHAPTER    XXL 

JENNY  LIND. 

ARRIVAL  AT  ST.    LOUIS  —  SURPRISING    PROPOSITION    OF  MISS    LIND'S    SECRETARY 

—  HOW  THE   MANAGER  MANAGED  —  READINESS   TO   CANCEL  THE   CONTRACT  — 
CONSULTATION  WITH  "  UNCLE  SOL." — BARNUM  NOT  TO  BE  HIRED  —  A  "  JOKE  " 

—  TEMPERANCE    LECTURE     IN     THE    THEATRE  —  SOL.    SMITH  —  A    COMEDIAN, 
AUTHOR,    AND    LAWYER  —  UNIQUE    DEDICATION  —  JENNY    LIND's    CHARACTER 
AND    CHARITIES  —  SHARP    WORDS     FROM     THE     WEST  —  SELFISH     ADVISERS  — 
MISS   LIND'S  GENEROUS   IMPULSES  —  HER  SIMPLE  AND   CHILDLIKE  CHARACTER 

—  CONFESSIONS  OF  A  MANAGER  —  PRIVATE  REPUTATION  AND  PUBLIC  RENOWN 

—  CHARACTER  AS   A   STOCK   IN  TRADE  —  LE  GRAND  SMITH  —  MR.  DOLBY  —  THE 
ANGELIC   SIDE   KEPT   OUTSIDE  —  MY  OWN  SHARE   IN    THE  PUBLIC    BENEFITS  — 
JUSTICE   TO  MISS   LIND  AND    MYSELF. 

ACCORDING  to  agreement,  the  "  Magnolia"  waited  for 
us  at  Natchez  and  Memphis,  and  we  gave  profitable 
concerts  at  both  places.  The  concert  at  Memphis  was 
the  sixtieth  in  the  list  since  Miss  Lind's  arrival  in 
America,  and  the  first  concert  in  St.  Louis  would  be 
the  sixty-first.  When  we  reached  that  city,  on  the 
morning  of  the  day  when  our  first  concert  was  to  be 
given,  Miss  Lind's  secretary  came  to  me,  commissioned, 
he  said,  by  her,  and  announced  that  as  sixty  concerts 
had  already  taken  place,  she  proposed  to  avail  herself 
of  one  of  the  conditions  of  our  contract,  and  cancel  the 
engagement  next  morning.  As  this  was  the  first  inti 
mation  of  the  kind  I  had  received,  I  was  somewhat 
startled,  though  I  assumed  an  entirely  placid  demeanor, 
and  asked : 

"  Does  Miss  Lind  authorize  you  to  give  me  this 
notice  ? " 


JENNY  LIND,  335 

"  I  so  understand  it,"  was  the  reply. 

I  immediately  reflected  that  if  our  contract  was  thus 
suddenly  cancelled,  Miss  Lind  was  bound  to  repay  to  me 
all  I  had  paid  her  over  the  stipulated  $1,000  for  each 
concert,  and  a  little  calculation  showed  that  the  sum 
thus  to  be  paid  back  was  $77,000,  since  she  had 
already  received  from  me  $137,000  for  sixty  concerts. 
In  this  view,  I  could  not  but  think  that  this  was  a  ruse 
of  some  of  her  advisers,  and,  possibly,  that  she  might 
know  nothing  of  the  matter.  So  I  told  her  secretary 
that  I  would  see  him  again  in  an  hour,  and  meanwhile  I 
went  to  my  old  friend  Mr.  Sol.  Smith  for  his  legal  and 
friendly  advice. 

I  showed  him  my  contract  and  told  him  how  much  I 
fiad  been  annoyed  by  the  selfish  and  greedy  hangers-on 
and  advisers,  legal  and  otherwise,  of  Jenny  Lind.  I 
talked  to  him  about  the  "  wheels  within  wheels  "  which 
moved  this  great  musical  enterprise,  and  asked  and 
gladly  accepted  his  advice,  which  mainly  coincided 
with  my  own  views  of  the  situation.  I  then  went 
back  to  the  secretary  and  quietly  told  him  that  I  was 
ready  to  settle  with  Miss  Lind  and  to  close  the  engage 
ment. 

"  But,"  said  he,  manifestly  "  taken  aback,"  "  you  have 
already  advertised  concerts  in  Louisville  and  Cincinnati, 
I  believe." 

"  Yes',"  I  replied  ;  "  but  you  may  take  my  contracts 
for  halls  and  printing  off  my  hands  at  cost."  I  further 
said  that  he  was  welcome  to  the  assistance  of  my  agent 
who  had  made  these  arrangements,  and,  moreover,  that 
I  would  cheerfully  give  my  own  services  to  help  them 
through  with  these  concerts,  thus  giving  them  a  good 
start  "  on  their  own  hook," 


336  JENNY  LIND. 

My  liberality,  which  he  acknowledged,  emboldened 
him  to  make  an  extraordinary  proposition  : 

"  Now  suppose,"  he  asked,  "  Miss  Lind  should  wish 
to  give  some  fifty  concerts  in  this  country,  what  would 
you  charge  as  manager,  per  concert  ? " 

"  A  million  dollars  each,  not  one  cent  less,"  I  replied. 
I  was  now  thoroughly  aroused ;  the  whole  thing  was  as 
clear  as  daylight,  and  I  continued : 

"  Now  we  might  as  well  understand  each  other ;  I 
do  n't  believe  Miss  Lind  has  authorized  you  to  propose 
to  me  to  cancel  our  contract ;  but  if  she  has,  just  bring 
me  a  line  to  that  effect  over  her  signature  and  her  check 
for  the  amount  due  me  by  the  terms  of  that  contract, 
some  $77,000,  and  we  will  close  our  business  connec 
tions  at  once." 

64  But  why  not  make  a  new  arrangement,"  persisted 
the  Secretary,  "  for  fifty  concerts  more,  by  which  Miss 
Lind  shall  pay  you  liberally,  say  $1,000  per  con 
cert]" 

"  Simply  because  I  hired  Miss  Lind,  and  not  she  me," 
I. replied,  "  and  because  I  never  ought  to  take  a  farthing 
less  for  my  risk  and  trouble  than  the  contract  gives  me. 
I  have  voluntarily  paid  Miss  Lind  more  than  twice  as 
much  as  I  originally  contracted  to  pay  her,  or  as  she 
expected  to  receive  when  she  first  engaged  with  me. 
Now,  if  she  is  not  satisfied,  I  wish  to  settle  instantly  and 
finally.  If  you  do  not  bring  me  her  decision  to-day,  I 
shall  go  to  her  for  it  to-morrow  morning." 

I  met  the  secretary  soon  after  breakfast  next  morning 
and  asked  him  if  he  had  a  written  communication  for  me 
from  Miss  Lind?  He  said  he  had  not  and  that  the 
whole  thing  was  a  "joke."  He  merely  wanted,  he 
added,  to  see  what  I  would  say  to  the  proposition.  I 


JENNY  LIND.  337 

asked  him  if  Miss  Lind  was  in  the  "joke,"  as  he  called 
it  ?  He  hoped  I  would  not  inquire,  but  would  let  the 
matter  drop.  I  went  on,  as  usual,  and  gave  four  more 
concerts  in  St.  Louis,  and  followed  out  my  programme  as 
arranged  in  other  cities  for  many  weeks  following ;  nor 
at  that  time,  nor  at  any  time  afterwards,  did  Miss  Lind 
give  me  the  slightest  intimation  that  she  had  any  knowl 
edge  of  the  proposition  of  her  secretary  to  cancel  our 
agreement  or  to  employ  me  as  her  manager. 

During  our  stay  at  St.  Louis,  I  delivered  a  temper 
ance  lecture  in  the  theatre,  and  at  the  close,  among 
other  signers,  of  the  pledge,  was  my  friend  and  adviser, 
Sol.  Smith.  "  Uncle  Sol."  as  every  one  called  him, 
was  a  famous  character  in  his  time.  He  was  an  excel 
lent  comedian,  an  author,  a  manager  and  a  lawyer. 
For  a  considerable  period  of  his  life,  he  was  largely 
concerned  in  theatricals  in  St.  Louis,  New  Orleans  and 
other  cities,  and  acquired  a  handsome  property.  He 
died  at  a  ripe  old  age,  in  1869,  respected  and  lamented 
by  all  who  knew  him.  I  esteem  it  an  honor  to  have 
been  one  of  his  intimate  friends. 

A  year  or  two  before  he  died,  he  published  a  very 
interesting  volume,  giving  a  full  account  of  the  lead 
ing  incidents  in  his  long  and  varied  career  as  an  actor 
and  manager.  He  had  previously,  in  1854,  pub 
lished  an  autobiographical  work,  comprising  an  account 
of  the  "  second  seven  years  of  his  professional  life," 
together  with  sketches  of  adventure  in  after  years, 
and  entitled  "  The  Theatrical  Journey- Work  and  Anec- 
dotical  Recollections  of  Sol.  Smith,  Comedian,  Attor 
ney  at  Law,"  etc.  This  unique  work  was  preceded  by 

a  dedication  which  I  venture  to  copy.  It  was  as  fol- 
-,  ho  r</ 

lows : 

16 


338  JENNY  LIND. 

"  TO     PHINEAS    T.    BARNUM,  PROPRIETOR    OF    THE    AMERICAN 
MUSEUM,  ETC. 

"  Great  Impressario :  Whilst  you  were  engaged  in 
your  grand  Jenny  Lind  speculation,  the  following  conun 
drum  went  the  rounds  of  the  American  newspapers  : 

" '  Why  is  it  that  Jenny  Lind  and  Barnum  will  never 
fall  out  1 '  Answer :  fc  Because  he  is  always  for-getting, 
and  she  is  always  for-giving.' 

"  I  have  never  asked  you  the  question  directly, 
whether  you,  Mr.  Barnum,  started  that  conundrum,  or 
not ;  but  I  strongly  suspect  that  you  did.  At  all  events, 
I  noticed  that  your  whole  policy  was  concentrated  into 
one  idea  —  to  make  an  angel  of  Jenny,  and  depreciate 
yourself  in  contrast. 

"  You  may  remember  that  in  this  city  (St.  Louis),  I 
acted  in  one  instance  as  your  '  legal  adviser,'  and  as  such, 
necessarily  became  acquainted  with  all  the  particulars 
of  your  contract  with  the  so-called  Swedish  Nightingale, 
as  well  as  the  various  modifications  claimed  by  that 
charitable  lady,  and  submitted  to  by  you  after  her 
arrival  in  this  country ;  which  modifications  (I  sup 
pose  it  need  no  longer  be  a  secret)  secured  to  her  — 
besides  the  original  stipulation  of  one  thousand  dol 
lars  for  every  concert,  attendants,  carriages,  assistant 
artists,  and  a  pompous  and  extravagant  retinue,  fit 
(only)  for  a  European  princess  —  one  half  of  the  profits 
of  each  performance.  You  may  also  remember  the 
legal  advice  I  gave  you  on  the  occasion  referred  to, 
and  the  salutary  effect  of  your  following  it  You  must 
remember  the  extravagant  joy  you  felt  afterwards,  in 
Philadelphia,  when  the  'Angel'  made  up  her  mind  to 
avail  herself  of  one  of  the  stipulations  in  her  contract, 
to  break  off  at  the  end  of  a  hundred  nights,  and  even 


JENNY  LIND.  339 

'( 

bought  out  seven  of  that  hundred  —  supposing  that 
she  could  go  on  without  your  aid  as  well  as  with  it.  And 
you  cannot  but  remember,  how,  like  a  rocket-stick  she 
dropped,  when  your  business  connection  with  her  ended, 
and  how  she  '  fizzed  out '  the  remainder  of  her  concert 
-.nights  in  this  part  of  the  world,  and  soon  afterwards 
retired  to  her  domestic  blissitude  in  Sweden. 

"  You  know,  Mr.  Barnum,  if  you  would  only  tell, 
which  of  the  two  it  was  that  was  '  for-getting,'  and 
which  '  for-giving '  ;  and  you  also  know  who  actually 
gave  the  larger  portion  of  those  sums  which  you 
heralded  to  the  world  as  the  sole  gifts  of  the  '  divine 
Jenny/ 

"  Of  all  your  speculations  —  from  the  negro  centena- 
rina,  who  didn't  nurse  General  Washington,  down 
to  the  Bearded  Woman  of  Genoa  —  there  was  not 
one  which  required  the  exercise  of  so  much  hum- 
buggery  as  the  Jenny  Lind  concerts ;  and  I  verily  be 
lieve  there  is  no  man  living,  other  than  yourself,  who 
could,  or  would,  have  risked  the  enormous  expendi 
ture  of  money  necessary  to  carry  them  through  success 
fully —  travelling,  with  sixty  artists,  four  thousand 
miles,  and  giving  ninety-three  concerts,  at  an  actual 
cost  of  forty-five  hundred  dollars  each,  is  what  no 
other  man  would  have  undertaken — you  accomplished 
this,  and  pocketed  by  the  operation  but  little  less  than 
two  hundred  thousand  dollars  !  Mr.  Barnum,  you 
are  yourself,  alone ! 

"  I  honor  you,  oh  !  Great  Impressario,  as  the  most 
successful  manager  in  America  or  any  other  country. 
Democrat,  as  you  are,  you  can  give  a  practical  lesson  to 
the  aristocrats  of  Europe  how  to  live.  At  your  beauti 
ful  and  tasteful  v^sidence,  '  Iranistan '  (I  do  n't  like  the 


340  JENNY  LIND. 

name,  though,)  you  can  and  do  entertain  your  friends 
with  a  warmth  of  hospitality,  only  equalled  by  that  of 
the  great  landed  proprietors  of  the  old  country,  or  of 
our  own  '  sunny  South/  Whilst  riches  are  pouring  into 
your  coffers  from  your  various  '  ventures '  in  all  parts  of 
the  world,  you  do  not  hoard  your  immense  means,  but 
continually  '  cast  them  forth  upon  the  waters,'  reward 
ing  labor,  encouraging  the  arts,  and  lending  a  helping 
hand  to  industry  in  all  its  branches.  Not  content  with 
doing  all  this,  you  deal  telling  blows,  whenever  oppor 
tunity  offers,  upon  the  monster  Intemperance.  Your 
labors  in  this  great  cause  alone,  should  entitle  you  to 
the  thanks  of  all  good  men,  women  and  children  in  the 
land.  Mr.  Barnum,  you  deserve  all  your  good  fortune, 
and  I  hope  you  may  long  live  to  enjoy  your  wealth  and 
honor. 

"  As  a  small  instalment  towards  the  debt,  I,  as  one  of 
the  community,  owe  you,  and  with  the  hope  of  afford 
ing  you  an  hour's  amusement  (if  you  can  spare  that 
amount  of  time  from  your  numerous  avocations  to  read 
it),  I  present  you  with  this  little  volume,  containing  a 
very  brief  account  of  some  of  my  'journey-work'  in 
the  south  and  west ;  and  remain,  very  respectfully, 

"  Your  friend,  and  affectionate  uncle, 

"  SOL.  SMITH. 
^  CHOUTEAU  AVENUE,  ST.  Louis, 

"Nov.  1,  1854." 

"  Uncle  "  Sol.  Smith  must  be  held  solely  responsible 
for  his  extravagant  estimate  of  P.  T.  Barnum,  and  for 
his  somewhat  deprecatory  view  of  the  attributes  of  the 
"  divine  Jenny."  It  is  true  that  he  derived  many  of  his 
impressions  of  Miss  Lind  from  the  annoying  circum- 


JENNY  LEND.  341 

stances  that  compelled  me  to  seek  his  professional  advice 
and  assistance  in  St.  Louis,  when  Jenny  Lind's  secretary 
came  to  me  with  an  assumed  authorization  from  her  to 
abruptly  close  our  engagement.  But  when  Sol.  Smith's 
dedication  was  first  published,  there  were  plenty  ot 
people  and  papers  throughout  the  land  that  were  eager 
to  catch  up  and  indorse  this  new  view  of  Miss  Lind's 
character.  The  Athenians  were  sometimes  sick,  no 
doubt,  of  hearing  Aristides  always  called  "  the  Just." 
Yet,  some  of  the  sharp  things  which  Sol.  Smith  means 
to  say  about  Miss  Lind,  apply  rather  to  the  selfish  persons 
who,  unfortunately,  were  more  in  her  confidence  than  I 
ever  aspired  to  be,  and  who  assumed  to  advise  her  and 
thus  easily  perverted  her  better  judgment. 

With  all  her  excellent  and  even  extraordinarily  good 
qualities,  however,  Jenny  Lind  was  human,  though  the 
reputation  she  bore  in  Europe  for  her  many  charitable 
acts  led  me  to  believe,  till  I  knew  her,  that  she  was 
nearly  perfect.  I  think  now  that  her  natural  impulses 
were  more  simple,  childlike,  pure  and  generous  than 
those  of  almost  any  other  person  I  ever  met.  But  she 
had  been  petted,  almost  worshipped,  so  long,  that  it 
would  have  been  strange  indeed  if  her  unbounded  popu 
larity  had  not  in  some  degree  affected  her  to  her  hurt, 
and  it  must  not  be  thought  extraordinary  if  she  now  and 
then  exhibited  some  phase  of  human  weakness. 

Like  most  persons  of  uncommon  talent,  she  had  a 
strong  will  which,  at  times,  she  found  ungovernable  ; 
but  if  she  was  ever  betrayed  into  a  display  of  ill-temper 
she  was  sure  to  apologize  and  express  her  regret  after 
wards.  Le  Grand  Smith,  who  was  quite  intimate  \vith 
her,  and  who  was  my  right-hand  man  during  the  entire 
Lind  engagement,  used  sometimes  to  say  to  me : 


342  JENNY  LIND. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Barnum,  you  have  managed  wonderfully 
in  always  keeping  Jenny's  '  angel '  side  outside  with  the 
public." 

More  than  one  Englishman  —  I  may  instance  Mr. 
Dolby,  Mr.  Dickens's  agent  during  his  last  visit  to 
America  —  expressed  surprise  at  the  confirmed  impres 
sion  of  "  perfection  "  entertained  by  the  general  Ameri 
can  public  in  regard  to  the  Swedish  Nightingale. 
These  things  are  WTitten  with  none  but  the  kindest 
feelings  towards  the  sweet  songstress,  and  only  to  modify 
the  too  current  ideas  of  superhuman  excellence  which 
cannot  be  characteristic  of  any  mortal  being. 

As  I  have  before  intimated  in  giving  details  of  my 
management  of  the  enterprise,  believing,  as  I  did  when 
I  engaged  her,  in  her  "  angelic"  reputation,  I  am  frank 
enough  to  confess  that  I  considered  her  private  charac 
ter  a  valuable  adjunct,  even  in  a  business  point  of  view, 
to  her  renown  as  a  singer.  I  admit  that  I  took  her 
charities  into  account  as  part  of  my  "  stock  in  trade." 
Whenever  she  sang  for  a  public  or  private  charity,  she 
gave  her  voice,  which  was  worth  a  thousand  dollars  to 
her  every  evening.  At  such  times,  I  always  insisted 
upon  paying  for  the  hall,  orchestra,  printing,  and  other 
expenses,  because  I  felt  able  and  willing  to  contribute 
my  full  share  towards  the  worthy  objects  which 
prompted  these  benefits. 

This  narration  would  be  incomplete  if  I  did  not  add 
the  following : 

We  were  in  Havana  when  I  showed  to  Miss  Lind  a 
paper  containing  the  conundrum  on  "  for-getting  "  and 
"  for-giving,"  at  which  she  laughed  heartily,  but  immedi 
ately  checked  herself  and  said : 

"  O !   Mr.  Barnum,  this  is  not  fair ;  you  know  that 


JENNY  LIND.  343 

yon  really  give  more  than  I  do  from  the  proceeds  of 
every  one  of  these  charity  concerts." 

And  it  is  but  just  to  her  to  say  that  she  frequently 
remonstrated  with  me  and  declared  that  the  actual 
expenses  should  be  deducted  and  the  thus  lessened  sum 
devoted  to  the  charity  for  which  the  concert  might  be 
given  ;  but  I  always  laughingly  told  her  that  I  must  do 
my  part,  give  my  share,  and  that  if  it  was  purely 
a  business  operation,  "  bread  cast  upon  the  waters,"  it 
would  return,  perhaps,  buttered  ;•  for  the  larger  her 
reputation  for  liberality,  the  more  liberal  the  public 
would  surely  be  to  us  and  to  our  enterprise. 

I  have  no  wish  to  conceal  these  facts  ;  and  I  certainly 
have  no  desire  to  receive  a  larger  meed  of  praise  than 
my  qualified  generosity  merits.  Justice  to  myself  and 
to  my  management,  as  well  as  to  Miss  Lind,  seems  to 
permit,  if  not  to  demand,  this  explanation. 


CHAPTEE    XXII. 

CLOSE  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN. 


PENITENT  TICKET  PURCHASERS  —  VISIT  TO  THE  "HERMITAGE"  —  "APRIL  FOOL," 
7UST —  THE  MAMMOTH  CAVE  —  SIGNOR  SALVI  —  GEORGE  D.  PRENTICE  —  PER 
FORMANCE  IN  A  PORK  HOUSE — RUSE  AT  CINCINNATI  —  ANNOYANCES  AT 
PITTSBURG — LE  GRAND  SMITH'S  GRAND  JOKE  —  RETURN  TO  NEW  YORK  — 
THE  FINAL  CONCERTS  IN  CASTLE  GARDEN  AND  METROPOLITAN  HALL  —  THE 
ADVISERS  APPEAR  —  THE  NINETY-THIRD  CONCERT  —  MY  OFFER  TO  CLOSE  THE 
ENGAGEMENT  —  MISS  LIND's  LETTER  ACCEPTING  MY  PROPOSITION  —  STORY 
ABOUT  AN  "IMPROPER  PLACE"  —  JENNY'S  CONCERTS  ON  HER  OWN  ACCOUNT 
—  HER  MARRIAGE  TO  MR.  OTTO  GOLDSCHMIDT  —  CORDIAL  RELATIONS 
BETWEEN  MRS.  LIND  GOLDSCHMIDT  AND  MYSELF  —  AT  HOME  AGAIN  —  STATE' 

MENT  OF  THE  TOTAL  RECEIPTS  OF  THE  CONCERTS. 

AFTER  five  concerts  in  St.  Louis,  we  went  to  Nashville, 
Tennessee,  where  we  gave  our  sixty-sixth  and  sixty- 
seventh  concert^  in  this  country.  At  the  first  ticket 
auction  in  that  city,  the  excitement  was  considerable 
and  the  bidding  spirited,  as  was  generally  the  case. 
After  the  auction  was  over,  one  of  my  men,  happening 
in  at  a  dry-goods  store  in  the  town,  heard  the  proprietor 
say,  "  I'll  give  five  dollars  to  any  man  who  will  take  me 
out  and  give  me  a  good  horse- whipping !  I  deserve  It, 
and  am  willing  to  pay  for  having  it  done.  To  think 
that  I  should  have  been  such  a  fool  as  to  have  paid 
forty-eight  dollars  for  four  tickets  for  my  wife,  two 
daughters,  and  myself,  to  listen  to  music  for  only  two 
hours,  makes  me  mad  with  myself,  and  I  want  to  pay 
somebody  for  giving  me  a  thundering  good  horse-whip 
ping  !  "  I  am  not  sure  that  others  have  not  experienced 
a  somewhat  similar  feeling,  when  they  became  cool  and 
rational,  and  the  excitement  of  novelty  and  competition 
had  passed  away. 


CLOSE  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN.  345 

While  at  Nashville,  Jenny  Lind,  accompanied  by  my 
daughter,  Mrs.  Lyman,  and  myself,  visited  "  the  Her 
mitage,"  the  late  residence  of  General  Jackson.  On 
that  occasion,  for  the  first  time  that  season,  we  heard 
the  wild  mocking-birds  singing  in  the  trees.  This  gave 
Jenny  Lind  great  delight,  as  she  had  never  before  heard 
them  sing  except  in  their  wire-bound  cages. 

The  first  of  April  occurred  while  we  were  in  Nash 
ville.  I  was  considerably  annoyed  during  the  forenoon 
by  the  calls  of  members  of  the  company  who  came  to 
me  under  the  belief  that  I  had  sent  for  them.  After 
dinner  I  concluded  to  give  them  all  a  touch  of  "  April 
fool."  The  following  article,  which  appeared  the  next 
morning  in  the  Nashville  Daily  American,  my  amanuen 
sis  having  imparted  the  secret  to  the  editor,  will  show 
how  it  was  done  : 

"A  series  of  laughable  jokes  came  off  yesterday  at  the  Veranda  in  honor  of 
All  Fools'  Day.  Mr.  Barnum  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  mischief.  He  managed 
in  some  mysterious  manner  to  obtain  a  lot  of  blank  telegraphic  despatches  and 
envelopes  from  one  of  the  offices  in  this  city,  and  then  went  to  work  and  manufac 
tured  '  astounding  intelligence '  for  most  of  the  parties  composing  the  Jenny  Lind 
suite.  Almost  every  person  in  the  company  received  a  telegraphic  despatch 
written  under  the  direction  of  Barnum.  Mr.  Barnum's  daughter  was  in 
formed  that  her  mother,  her  cousin,  and  several  other  relatives  were  waiting 
for  her  in  Louisville,  and  various  other  important  and  extraordinary  items  of 
domestic  intelligence  were  communicated  to  her.  Mr.  Le  Grand  Smith  was  told 
by  a  despatch  from  his  father  that  his  native  village  in  Connecticut  was  in  ashes, 
including  his  own  homestead,  etc.  Several  of  Barnum's  employees  had  most  lib 
eral  offers  of  engagements  from  banks  and  other  institutions  at  the  North. 
Burke,  and  others  of  the  musical  professors,  were  offered  princely  salaries  by 
opera  managers,  and  many  of  them  received  most  tempting  inducements  to  pro 
ceed  immediately  to  the  World's  Fair  in  London. 

"  One  married  gentleman  in  Mr.  Barnum's  suite  received  the  gratifying  intel 
ligence  that  he  had  for  two  days  been  the  father  of  a  pair  of  bouncing  boys 
(mother  and  children  doing  well),  an  event  which  he  had  been  anxiously  looking 
for  during  the  week,  though  on  a  somewhat  more  limited  scale.  In  fact,  nearly 
every  person  in  the  party  engaged  by  Barnum  received  some  extraordinary  tele 
graphic  intelligence,  and  as  the  great  impressario  managed  to  have  the  despatches 
delivered  simultaneously,  each  recipient  was  for  some  time  busily  occupied  with 
his  own  personal  news. 

"  By  and  by  each  began  to  tell  his  neighbor  his  good  or  bad  tidings;  and  each 
was,  of  course,  rejoiced  or  grieved  according  to  circumstances.  Several  gave  Mr. 

16* 


346  CLOSE  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN. 

Barnum  notice  of  their  intention  to  leave  him,  in  consequence  of  better  offers; 
and  a  number  of  them  sent  off  telegraphic  despatches  and  letters  by  mail,  in 
answer  to  those  received. 

"  The  man  who  had  so  suddenly  become  the  father  of  twins,  telegraphed  to  his 
wife  to  'be  of  good  cheer,'  and  that  he  would  'start  for  home  to-morrow.'  At  a 
late  hour  last  night  the  secret  had  not  got  out,  and  we  presinue  that  many  of  the 
victims  will  first  learn  from  our  columns  that  they  have  been  taken  in  by  BA»- 
NUM  and  All  Fools'  Day  ! " 

From.  Nashville,  Jenny  Lind  and  a  few  friends  went 
by  way  of  the  Mammoth  Cave 'to  Louisville,  while  the 
rest  of  the  party  proceeded  by  steamboat. 

"While  in  Havana,  I  engaged  Signor  Salvi  for  a  few 
months,  to  begin  about  the  10th  of  April.  He  joined 
us  at  Louisville,  and  sang  in  the  three  concerts  there, 
with  great  satisfaction  to  the  public.  Mr.  George  D. 
Prentice,  of  the  Louisville  Journal,  and  his  beautiful  and 
accomplished  lady,  who  had  contributed  much  to  the 
pleasure  of  Miss  Lind  and  our  party,  accompanied  us 
to  Cincinnati. 

A  citizen  of  Madison  had  applied  to  me  on  our  first 
arrival  in  Louisville,  for  a  concert  in  that  place.  I 
replied  that  the  town  was  too  small  to  afford  it,  where 
upon  he  offered  to  take  the  management  of  it  into  his 
own  hands,  and  pay  me  $5,000  for  the  receipts.  The 
last  concert  at  Louisville,  and  the  concerts  at  Natchez 
and  Wheeling  were  given  under  a  similar  agreement, 
though  with  better  pecuniary  results  than  at  Madison. 
As  the  steamer  from  Louisville  to  Cincinnati  would 
arrive  at  Madison  about  sundown,  and  would  wait  long 
enough  for  us  to  give  a  concert,  I  agreed  to  his  proposi 
tion. 

We  were  not  a  little  surprised  to  learn  upon  arriving, 
that  the  concert  must  be  given  in  a  "  pork  house  "  —  a 
capacious  shed  which  had  been  fitted  up  and  decorated 
for  the  occasion.  We  concluded,  however,  that  if  the 


CLOSE  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN.  347 

inhabitants  were  satisfied  with  the  accommodations,  we 
ought  not  to  object.  The  person  who  had  contracted 
for  the  concert  came  $1,300  short  of  his  agreement, 
which  I  consequently  lost,  and  at  ten  o'clock  we  were 
again  on  board  the  fine  steamer  "  Ben  Franklin77  bound 
for  Cincinnati. 

The  next  morning  the  crowd  upon  the  wharf  was 
immense.  I  was  fearful  that  an  attempt  to  repeat  the 
New  Orleans  ruse  with  my  daughter  would  be  of  no 
avail,  as  the  joke  had  been  published  in  the  Cincinnati 
papers ;  so  I  gave  my  arm  to  Miss  Lind,  and  begged 
her  to  have  no  fears,  for  I  had  hit  upon  an  expedient 
which  would  save  her  from  annoyance.  We  then 
descended  the  plank  to  the  shore,  and  as  soon  as  we 
had  touched  it,  Le  Grand  Smith  called  out* from  the 
boat,  as  if  he  had  been  one  of  the  passengers,  "  That's 
no  go,  Mr.  Barnum ;  you  can't  pass  your  daughter  off 
for  Jenny  Lind  this  time." 

The  remark  elicited  a  peal  of  merriment  from  the 
crowd,  several  persons  calling  out,  "  That  won't  do, 
Barnum  !  you  may  fool  the  New  Orleans  folks,  but  you 
can't  come  it  over  the  '  Buckeyes.'  We  intend  to  stay 
here  until  you  bring  out  Jenny  Lind  !  "  They  readily 
allowed  me  to  pass  with  the  lady  whom  they  supposed 
to  be  my  daughter,  and  in  five  minutes  afterwards  the 
Nightingale  was  complimenting  Mr.  Coleman  upon  the 
beautiful  and  commodious  apartments  which  were 
devoted  to  her  in  the  Burnett  House.  The  crowd 
remained  an  hour  on  the  wharf  before  they  would 
be  convinced  that  the  person  whom  they  took  for 
my  daughter  was  in  fact  the  veritable  Swede.  When 
this  was  discovered,  a  general  laugh  followed  the 
exclamation  from  one  of  the  victims,  "  Well,  Barnum 
has  humbugged  us  after  all !  " 


348  CLOSE  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN. 

In  passing  up  the  river  to  Pittsburg,  the  boat  waited 
four  hours  to  enable  us  to  give  a  concert  in  Wheeling. 
It  was  managed  by  a  couple  of  gentlemen  in  that  city, 
who  purchased  it  for  five  thousand  dollars  in  advance, 
by  which  they  made  a  handsome  profit  for  their  trouble. 
The  concert  was  given  in  a  church. 

At  Pittsburg,  the  open  space  surrounding  the  con 
cert  room  became  crowded  with  thousands  of  persons, 
who,  foolishly  refusing  to  accommodate  each  other  by 
listening  to  the  music,  disturbed  the  concert  and  deter 
mined  us  to  leave  the  next  morning  for  Baltimore, 
instead  of  giving  a  second  concert  that  had  been  adver 
tised. 

Le  Grand  Smith  here  paid  me  off  for  my  "  April  fool " 
joke.  He,  induced  a  female  of  his  acquaintance  to  call 
on  me  and  reveal  an  arrangement  which  she  pretended 
accidentally  to  have  overheard  between  some  scoundrels, 
who  were  resolved  to  stop  our  stage  coach  on  the  Alle- 
ghany  mountains  and  commit  highway  robbery.  The 
story  seemed  incredible,  and  yet  the  woman  related  it 
with  so  much  apparent  sincerity,  that  I  swallowed  the 
bait,  and  remitting  to  New  York  all  the  money  I  had, 
except  barely  enough  to  defray  our  expenses  to  Balti 
more,  I  purchased  several  revolvers  for  such  members 
of  the  company  as  were  not  already  provided,  and 
we  left  Pittsburg  armed  to  the  teeth !  Fortunately, 
Jenny  Lind  and  several  of  the  company  had  left  before 
I  made  this  grand  discovery,  and  hence  she  was  saved 
any  apprehensions  on  the  subject.  It  is  needless  to  say 
we  found  no  use  for  our  firearms. 

We  reached  New  York  early  in  May,  1851,  and  gave 
fourteen  concerts  in  Castle  Garden  and  Metropolitan 
Hall.  The  last  of  these  made  the  ninety-second  regu- 


CLOSE  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN.  349 

lar  concert  under  our  engagement.  Jenny  Lind  had 
now  again  reached  the  atmosphere  of  her  legal  and 
other  "  advisers,"  and  I  soon  discovered  the  effects  of 
their  influence.  I,  however,  cared  little  what  course 
they  advised  her  to  pursue.  I  indeed  wished  they 
would  prevail  upon  her  to  close  with  her  hundredth 
concert,  for  I  had  become  weary  with  constant  excite 
ment  and  unremitting  exertions.  I  was  confident  that 
if  she  undertook  to  give  concerts  on  her  own  account, 
she  would  be  imposed  upon  and  harassed  in  a  thousand 
ways  ;  yet  I  felt  it  would  be  well  for  her  to  have  a  trial 
at  it,  if  she  saw  fit  to  credit  her  advisers7  assurance  that 
I  had  not  managed  the  enterprise  as  successfully  as  it 
might  have  been  done. 

At  about  the  eighty-fifth  concert,  therefore,  I  was 
most  happy  to  learn  from  her  lips  that  she  had  concluded 
to  pay  the  forfeiture  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  and 
terminate  the  concerts  with  the  one  hundredth. 

We  went  to  Philadelphia,  where  I  had  advertised  the 
ninety-second,  ninety-third,  and  ninety-fourth  concerts, 
and  had  engaged  the  large  National  Theatre  on  Chest 
nut  Street.  It  had  been  used  for  equestrian  and  theatri 
cal  entertainments,  but  was  now  thoroughly  cleansed 
and  fitted  up  by  Max  Maretzek  for  Italian  opera.  It 
was  a  convenient  place  for  our  purpose.  One  of  her 
"  advisers,"  a  subordinate  in  her  employ,  who  was 
already  itching  for  the  position  of  manager,  made  the 
selection  of  this  building  a  pretext  for  creating  dissatis 
faction  in  the  mind  of  Miss  Lind.  I  saw  the  influences 
which  were  at  work,  and  not  caring  enough  for  the 
profits  of  the  remaining  seven  concerts,  to  continue  the 
engagement  at  the  risk  ol  disturbing  the  friendly  feel 
ings  which  had  hitherto  uninterruptedly  existed  between 


350  CLOSE  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN. 

that  lady  and  myself,  I  wrote  her  a  letter  offering  to 
relinquish  the  engagement,  if  she  desired  it,  at  the  ter 
mination  of  the  concert  which  was  to  take  place  that 
evening,  upon  her  simply  allowing  me  a  thousand  dol 
lars  per  concert  for  the  seven  which  would  yet  remain 
to  make  up  the  hundred,  besides  paying  me  the  sum 
stipulated  as  a  forfeiture  for  closing  the  engagement  at 
the  one-hundredth  concert.  Towards  evening  I  received 
the  following  reply : 

"  To  P.  T.  BAENUM,  ESQ. 

"MY  DEAR  SIB:  —  I  accept  your  proposition  to  close  our  contract  to-night,  at 
the  end  of  the  ninety-third  concert,  on  condition  of  my  paying  you  seven  thou 
sand  dollars,  in  addition  to  the  sum  I  forfeit  under  the  condition  of  finishing  the 
engagement  at  the  end  of  one  hundred  concerts. 

"I  am,  dear  Sir,  yours  truly, 

"JENNY  LIND. 
"PHILADELPHIA,  9th  of  June,  1851." 

I  met  her  at  the  concert  in  the  evening,  and  she  was 
polite  and  friendly  as  ever.  Between  the  first  and 
second  parts  of  the  concert,  I  introduced  General 
Welch,  the  lessee  of  the  National  Theatre,  who  informed 
her  that  he  was  quite  willing  to  release  me  from  my 
engagement  of  the  building,  if  she  did  not  desire  it 
longer.  She  replied,  that  upon  trial,  she  found  it  much 
better  than  she  expected,  and  she  would  therefore  retain 
it  for  the  remainder  of  the  concerts. 

In  the  mean  time,  her  advisers  had  been  circulating 
the  story  that  I  had  compelled  her  to  sing  in  an  im 
proper  place,  and  when  they  heard  she  had  concluded  to 
remain  there,  they  beset  her  with  arguments  against  it, 
until  at  last  she  consented  to  remove  her  concerts  to  a 
smaller  hall. 

I  had  thoroughly  advertised  the  three  concerts,  in  the 
newspapers  within  a  radius  of  one  hundred  miles  from 
Philadelphia,  and  had  sent  admission  tickets  to  the  edit- 


CLOSE  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN.  351 

ors.  On  the  day  of  the  second  concert,  one  of  the  new 
agents,  who  had  indirectly  aided  in  bringing  about  the 
dissolution  of  our  engagement,  refused  to  recognize 
these  tickets,  I  urged  upon  him  the  injustice  of  such  a 
course,  but  received  no  satisfaction.  I  then  stated  the 
fact  to  Miss  Lind,  and  she  gave  immediate  orders  that 
these  tickets  should  be  received.  Country  editors'  tick 
ets,  which  were  offered  after  I  left  Philadelphia,  were 
however  refused  by  her  agents  (contrary  to  Miss  Lind's 
wish  and  knowledge),  and  the  editors,  having  come  from 
a  distance  with  their  wives,  purchased  tickets,  and  I 
subsequently  remitted  the  money  to  numerous  gentle 
men,  whose  complimentary  tickets  were  thus  repudiated. 

Jenny  Lind  gave  several  concerts  with  varied  success, 
and  then  retired  to  Niagara  Falls,  and  afterwards  to 
Northampton,  Massachusetts.  While  sojourning  at  the 
latter  place,  she  visited  Boston  and  was  married  to  Mr. 
Otto  Goldschmidt,  a  German  composer  and  pianist,  to 
whom  she  was  much  attached,  and  who  had  studied 
music  with  her  in  Germany.  He  played  several  times 
in  our  concerts.  He  was  a  very  quiet,  inoffensive  gen 
tleman,  and  an  accomplished  musician. 

I  met  her  several  times  after  our  engagement  termi 
nated.  She  was  always  affable.  On  one  occasion, 
wrhile  passing  through  Bridgeport,  she  told  me  that  she 
had  been  sadly  harassed  in  giving  her  concerts.  "  Peo 
ple  cheat  me  and  swindle  me  very  much,"  said  she, 
"  and  I  find  it  very  annoying  to  give  concerts  on  my  own 
account." 

I  was  always  supplied  with  conrplimentary  tickets 
when  she  gave  concerts  in  New  York,  and  on  the  occa 
sion  of  her  last  appearance  in  America,  I  visited  her  in 
her  room  back  of  the  stage,  and  bade  her  and  her 


352  CLOSE    OF    THE    CAMPAIGN". 

husband  adieu,  with  my  best  wishes.  She  expressed 
the  same  feeling  to  uie  in  return.  She  told  me  she 
should  never  sing  much,  if  any  more,  in  public  ;  but  I 
reminded  her  that  a  good  Providence  had  endowed  her 
with  a  voice  which  enabled  her  to  contribute  in  an  em 
inent  degree  to  the  enjoyment  of  her  fellow  beings, 
and  if  she  no  longer  needed  the  large  sums  of  money 
which  they  were  willing  to  pay  for  this  elevating  and 
delightful  entertainment,  she  knew  by  experience  what 
a  genuine  pleasure  she  would  receive  by  devoting  the 
money  to  the  alleviation,  of  the  wants  and  sorrows  of 
those  who  needed  it. 

uAh!  Mr.  Barnuin,"  she  replied,  u  that  is  very  true, 
and  it  would  be  ungrateful  in  me  to  not  continue  to  use 
for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  and  lowly,  that  gift  which 
our  kind  Heavenly  Father  has  so  graciously  bestowed 
upon  me.  Yes,  I  will  continue  to  sing  so  long  as  my 
voice  lasts,  but  it  will  be  mostly  for  charitable  objects, 
for  I  am  thankful  tg  say  I  have  all  the  money  which  I 
shall  ever  need."  Pursuant  to  this  resolution,  the 
larger  portion  of  the  concerts  which  this  noble  lady 
has  given  since  her  return  to  Europe,  have  been  foi 
objects  of  benevolence.  [frier 

If  she  consents  to  sing  for  a  charitable  object  hi 
London,  for  instance,  the  fact  is  not  advertised  at  all, 
but  the  tickets  are  readily  disposed  of  in  a  private  quiet 
way,  at  a  guinea  and  half  a  guinea  each. 

After  so  many  months  of  anxiety,  labor  and  excite 
ment,  in  the  Jenny  Lind  enterprise,  it  will  readily  be 
believed  that  I  desired  tranquility.  I  spent  a  week  at 
Cape  May,  and  then  came  home  to  Iranistan,  where  I 
remained  during  the  entire  summer. 


CLOSE  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN. 


353 


JENNY  LIND  CONCERTS. 

TOTAL  RECEIPTS,  EXCEPTING  OF  CONCERTS  DEVOTED  TO  CHARITY. 


— 

New  York, 

$17,864  05       No.  46. 
14,203  03               47. 

Havana, 

New  Orleans, 

48. 

i 

No.  1. 

14 

12,519  59 

49. 

' 

2. 

II 

14,266  09 

50. 

. 

a 

II 

12,174  74 

51. 

. 

4. 

" 

16,028  39 

52. 

. 

5. 

Boston,    . 

16,479  50 

53. 

6. 

. 

11,848  62 

54. 

; 

7. 

" 

8,639  92 

55. 

s- 

8. 

" 

10,169  25 

56. 

i 

9. 

Providence, 

6,525  54 

57. 

, 

10. 

Boston,    . 

10,524  87 

58. 

i 

11. 

" 

5,240  00 

59. 

Natchez, 

12. 
13. 

a 
Philadelphia,  . 

7,586  00 
9,291  25 

60. 
61. 

Memphis, 

St.  Louis, 

14. 

'  ' 

7,547  00 

62. 

-  (    y 

15. 

« 

8,458  65 

63. 

II 

16. 

New  York, 

6,415  90 

64. 

14 

17. 

f 

4,009  70 

65. 

II 

18. 

t 

5,982  00 

66. 

Nashville, 

19. 

t 

8,007  10 

67. 

"          •,'-.• 

20. 

t 

6,334  20 

68. 

Louisville, 

21. 

. 

9,429  15 

69. 

H 

22. 

.        . 

9,912  17 

70. 

.'• 

23. 

.        . 

5,773  40 

71. 

Madison, 

24. 

. 

4,993  50 

72. 

Cincinnati,     . 

25. 

. 

6,670  15 

73. 

" 

26. 

. 

9,840  33 

74. 

" 

27. 

, 

7,097  15 

75. 

. 

28. 

. 

8,263  30 

76. 

" 

29 

,        . 

10,570  25 

77. 

Wheeling,      . 

30! 

.        . 

10,646  45 

78. 

Pittsburg, 

31. 

Phil 

delphia,  . 

5,480  75 

79. 

New  York,     . 

32. 

. 

5,728  65 

80. 

i  -   'f 

33. 

, 

3,709  88 

81. 

'  t 

34. 

4,815  48 

82. 

'    9 

36. 

Bait 

more, 

7,117  00 

83. 

•Y  •• 

36. 

, 

8,357  05 

84. 

.•• 

37. 

§ 

8,406  50 

85. 

•* 

38. 

8,121  33 

86. 

t 

39. 

Washington  City, 

6,878  55 

87. 

*'• 

40. 

. 

8,507  05 

88. 

..  ' 

41. 

Richmond, 

12,385  21 

89. 

•i 

42. 

Charleston, 

6,775  00 

90. 

( 

43. 

, 

3,653  75 

91. 

t 

44. 

Havana,  . 

4,666  17 

92. 

t 

45 

" 

2,837  92 

93. 

Philadelphia, 

95 

12,599  85 
10,210  42 
8,131  15 
6,019  85 
6,644  00 
9,720  80 
7,545  50 
6,053  50 
4,850  25 
4,495  35 
6,630  35 
4,745  10 
5,000  00 
4,539  56 
7,811  85 
7,961  92 
7,708  70 

4.086  50 
3,044  70 
7,786  30 
4,248  00 
7,833  90 
6,595  60 
5,000  00 
3,693  25 
9,339  75 

11,001  50 
8,446  30 
8,954  18 
6,500  40 
5,000  00 
7,210  58 
6,858  42 
5,453  00 
5,463  70 
7,378  35 
7,179  27 
6,641  00 
6,917  13 
6,f»42  04 
3,738  75 
4,335  28 
5,339  23 

4.087  03 
5,717  00 
9,525  80 
3,852  75 


CHARITY  CONCERTS.  — Of  Miss  Lind's  half  receipts  of  the  first  two  Concerts, 
she  devoted  $10,000  to  charity  in  New  York.  She  afterwards  gave  Charity 
Concerts  in  Boston,  Baltimore,  Charleston,  Havana,  New  Orleans,  New  York, 
and  Philadelphia,  and  donated  large  sums  for  the  like  purposes  in  Richmond, 
Cincinnati,  and  elsewhere.  Thfire  were  also  several  Benefit  Concerts,  for  the 
Orchestra,  Le  Grand  Smith,  and  other  persons  and  objects. 


354 


CLOSE  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN. 


[RECAPITULATION. 


NEW  YORK  .    .  35  CONCERTS. 

PHILADELPHIA    8 

BOSTON   .    .    . 

PROVIDENCE    . 

BALTIMORE  .    . 

WASHINGTON  . 

RICHMOND  .    . 

CHARLESTON  . 

HAVANA      .    . 

NEW  ORLEANS 

NATCHEZ     .    . 

MEMPHIS     .    . 

ST.  Louis    .    . 

NASHVILLE 

LOUISVILLE 


MADISON 

CINCINNATI 
WHEELING 
PITTSBURG 


RECEIPTS,  $280,210  04 

AVERAGE,  $8,177  50 

48,884  41 

0,110  55 

70,388  16 

10,055  45 

6,525  54 

0.525  54 

32,101  88 

8,000  47 

15,385  60 

7,092  80 

12,385  21 

12,385  21 

10,428  75 

5,214  37 

10,430  04 

3,478  08 

87,040  12 

7,303  84 

5,000  00 

5,000  00 

4,539  50 

4,539  50 

30,013  07 

0,122  73 

12,034  30 

6,017  15 

19,429  50 

6,476  50 

3,093  25 

3,693  25 

44,242  13 

8,848  43 

5,000  00 

5,000  00 

7,210  58 

7,210  58 

TOTAL    .    .  95  CONCERTS.        RECEIPTS,  $712,101  34         AVERAGE,  $7,496  43 


JENNY  LIND'S  RECEIPTS. 


$712,161  34 


32,007  08 


From  the  Total  Receipts  of  Ninety-five  Concerts  . 

Deduct  the  receipts  of  the  first  two,  which,  as  between 
P.  T.  Barnum  and  Jenny  Lind,  were  aside  from  the 
contract,  and  are  not  numbered  in  the  Table  .  .  . 

Total  Receipts  of  Concerts  from  No.  1  to  No.  93    .  $680,094  26 
Deduct  the  receipts  of  the  28  Concerts,  each 

of  which  fell  short  of  $5,500      ....     $123,311  15 
Also  deduct  $5,500  for  each  of  the  remaining 

65  Concerts 357,500  00    480,811  15 


Leaving  the  total  excess,  as  above     .     .     . 
Being  equally  divided,  Miss  Lind's  portion  was 
I  paid  her  $1,000  for  each  of  the  93-'Concerts      .     . 
Also  one  half  the  receipts  of  the  first  two  Concerts 


$199,283  11 


Amount  paid  to  Jenny  Lind 

She  refunded  to  me  as  forfeiture,  per  contract,  in  case 

she  withdrew  after  the  100th  Concert $25,000 

She  also  paid  me  $1,000  each  for  the  seven  Concerts 

relinquished • 7,000 


JENNY  LIND'S  net  avails  of  95  Concerts 

P.  T.  BARNUM' s  gross  receipts,  after  paying  Miss  Lind 


$99,641  55 
93,000  00 
10,033  54 

$208,075  09 


32,000  00 

$170,675  09 
535,486  25 


TOTAL  RECEIPTS  of  95  Concerts $712,161  34 


PRICE  OF  TICKETS.  —  The  highest  prices  paid  for  tickets  were  at  auction  as 
follows:  —  John  N.  Genin,  in  New  York,  $225;  Ossian- E.  Dodge,  .in  Boston, 
$625  ;  Col.  William  C.  Ross,  in  Providence,  $650  ;  M.  A.  Root,  in  Philadelphia, 
$025  ;  Mr.  D'Arcy,  in  New  Orleans,  $240  ;  a  keeper  of  a  refreshment  saloon  in 
St.  Louis,  $150  ;  a  Daguerrotypist,  in  Baltimore,  $100.  I  cannot  now  recall  the 
names  of  the  last  two.  After  the  sale  of  the  first  ticket,  the  premium  usually 
fell  to  $20,  and  so  downward  in  the  scale  of  figures.  The  fixed  price  of  tickets 
ranged  from  $7  to  $3.  Promenade  tickets  were  from  $2  to  $1  each. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

OTHER  ENTERPRISES. 

ANOTHER  YENTURE —  "BARNUM'S  GREAT  ASIATIC  CARAVAN,  MUSEUM  AND 
MENAGERIE  "  — HUNTING  ELEPHANTS  — GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  —  ELEPHANT 
PLOWING  IN  CONNECTICUT  —  CURIOUS  QUESTIONS  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS  — 
THE  PUBLIC  INTEREST  IN  MY  NOVEL  FARMING  — HOW  MUCH  AN  ELEPHANT 
CAN  REALLY  "DRAW "  —  COMMODORE  VANDERBELT  —DAN  DREW  —  SIDE  SHOWS 
AND  VARIOUS  ENTERPRISES  —  OBSEQUIES  OF  NAPOLEON  —  THE  CRYSTAL 
PALACE — CAMP  ANALOG  I ANS  —  AMERICAN  INDIANS  IN  LONDON  —  AUTOMATON 
SPEAKER  —  THE  DUKB  OF  WELLINGTON — ATTEMPT  TO  BUY  SHAKESPEARE'S 
HOUSE  —  DISSOLVING  VIEWS  —  THE  CHINESE  COLLECTION  —  WONDERFUL 
SCOTCH  BOYS  —  SOLVING  THE  MYSTERY  OF  DOUBLE  SIGHT  —  THE  BATEMAN 
CHILDREN  —  CATHERINE  HAYES  —  IRANI8TAN  ON  FIRE  —  MY  ELDEST  DAUGH 
TER'S  MARRIAGE  —  BENEFITS  FOR  THE  BRIDGEPORT  LIBRARY  AND  THE  MOUN 
TAIN  GROVE  CEMETERY. 

WHILE  I  was  managing  the  Lind  concerts,  in  addition 
to  the  American  Museum  I  had  other  business  matters 
in  operation  which  were  more  than  enough  to  engross 
my  entire  attention  and  which,  of  course,  I  was  com 
pelled  to  commit  to  the  hands  of  associates  and  agents. 

In  1849  I  had  projected  a  great  travelling  museum 
and  menagerie,  and,  as  I  had  neither  time  nor  inclina 
tion  to  manage  such  a  concern,  I  induced  Mr.  Seth  B. 
Howes,  justly  celebrated  as  a  "  showman,"  to  join  me, 
and  take  the  sole  charge.  Mr.  Sherwood  E.  Stratton, 
father  of  General  Tom  Thumb,  was  also  admitted  to 
partnership,  the  interest  being  in  thirds. 

In  carrying  out  a  portion  of  the  plan,  we  chartered 
the  ship  "  Eegatta,"  Captain  Pratt,  and  despatched  her, 
together  with  our  agents,  Messrs.  June  and  Nutter, 
to  Ceylon.  The  ship  left  New  York  in  May,  1850, 
and  was  absent  one  year.  Their  mission  was  to  pro- 


356  OTHER  ENTERPRISES. 

cure,  either  by  capture  or  purchase,  twelve  or  more 
living  elephants,  besides  such  other  wild  animals  as 
they  could  secure.  In  order  to  provide  sufficient  drink 
and  provender  for  a  cargo  of  these  huge  animals,  we 
purchased  a  large  quantity  of  hay  in  New  York.  Five 
hundred  tons  were  left  at  the  Island  of  St.  Helena, 
to  be  taken  on  the  return  trip  of  the  ship,  and  staves 
and  hoops  of  water-casks  were  also  left  at  the  same 
place. 

As  our  agents  were  unable  to  purchase  the  required 
number  of  elephants,  either  in  Columbo  or  Kandy,  the 
principal  towns  of  the  island,  (Ceylon,)  they  took  one 
hundred  and  sixty  native  assistants,  and  plunged  into 
the  jungles,  where,  after  many  most  exciting  adven 
tures,  they  succeeded  in  securing  thirteen  elephants 
of  a  suitable  size  for  their  purpose,  with  a  female  and 
her  calf,  or  "baby"  elephant,  only  six  months  old.  In 
the  course  of  the  expedition,  Messrs.  Nutter  and  June 
killed  large  numbers  of  the  huge  beasts,  and  had 
numerous  encounters  of  the  most  terrific  description 
with  the  formidable  animals,  one  of  the  most  fearful 
of  which  took  place  near  Anarajah  Poora,  while  they 
were  endeavoring,  by  the  aid  of  the  natives  and 
trained  elephants,  to  drive  the  wild  herd  of  beasts  into 
an  Indian  kraal. 

They  arrived  in  New  York  in  1851  with  ten  of  the 
elephants,  and  these,  harnessed  in  pairs  to  a  chariot, 
paraded  up  Broadway  past  the  Irving  House,  while 
Jenny  Lind  was  staying  at  that  hotel,  on  the  occasion 
of  her  second  visit  to  New  York.  Messrs.  Nutter  and 
June  also  brought  with  the  elephants  a  native  who  was 
competent  to  manage  and  control  them.  We  added  a 
caravan  of  wild  animals  and  many  museum  curiosities, 


OTHER  ENTERPRISES.  357 

the  entire  outfit,  including  horses,  vans,  carriages,  tent, 
etc.,  costing  $109,000,  and  commenced  operations,  with 
the  presence  and  under  the  "  patronage  "  of  General 
Tom  Thumb,  who  travelled  nearly  four  years  as  one 
of  the  attractions  of  "  Barnum's  Great  Asiatic  Caravan, 
Museum  and  Menagerie,"  returning  us  immense  profits. 

At  the  end  of  that  time,  after  exhibiting  in  all  sec 
tions  of  the  country,  we  sold  out  the  entire  establish 
ment —  animals,  cages,  chariots  and  paraphernalia, 
excepting  one  elephant,  which  I  retained  in  my  own 
possession  two  months  for  agricultural  purposes.  It 
occurred  to  me  that  if  I  could  put  an  elephant  to  plow 
ing  for  a  while  on  my  farm  at  Bridgeport,  it  would  be  a 
capital  advertisement  for  the  American  Museum,  which 
was  then,  and  always  during  my  proprietorship  of  that 
establishment,  foremost  in  my  thoughts. 

So  I  sent  him  to  Connecticut  in  charge  of  his  keeper, 
whom  I  dressed  in  Oriental  costume,  and  keeper  and 
elephant  were  stationed  on  a  six-acre  lot  which  lay  close 
beside  the  track  of  the  New  York  and  New  Haven 
Railroad.  The  keeper  was  furnished  with  a  time-table 
of  the  road,  with  special  instructions  to  be  busily 
engaged  in  his  work  whenever  passenger  trains  from 
either  way  were  passing  through.  Of  course,  the  matter 
soon  appeared  in  the  papers  and  went  the  entire  rounds  of 
the  press  in  this  country  and  even  in  Europe,  and  it  was 
everywhere  announced  that  P.  T.  Barnum,  "  Proprietor 
of  the  celebrated  American  Museum  in  New  York  "  — 
and  here  is  where  the  advertisement  came  in  —  had 
introduced  elephants  upon  his  farm,  to  do  his  plowing 
and  heavy  draft  work.  Hundreds  of  people  came  many 
miles  to  witness  the  novel  spectacle.  Letters  poured  in 
upon  me  from  the  secretaries  of  hundreds  of  State  and 


358  OTHER  ENTERPRISES. 

\ 

County  agricultural  societies  throughout  the  Union,  stat 
ing  that  the  presidents  and  directors  of  such  societies 
had  requested  them  to  propound  to  me  a  series  of  ques 
tions  in  regard  to  the  new  power  I  had  put  in  operation 
on  my  farm.  These  questions  were  greatly  diversified, 
but  the  "general  run"  of  them  were  something  like 
the  following : 

1.  "Is  the  elephant  a  profitable  agricultural  animal] " 

2.  "  How  much  can  an  elephant  plow  in  a  day  I " 

3.  "  How  much  can  he  draw  ? " 

4.  "  How  much  does  he  eat1?" — this  question  was 
invariably  asked,  and  was  a  very  important  one. 

5.  "  Will  elephants  make  themselves  generally  useful 
on  a  farm  I  "     I  suppose  some  of  my  inquirers  thought 
the  elephant  would  pick  up  chips,  or  even  pins  as  they 
have  been  taught  to  do,  and  would  rock  the  baby  and 
do  all  the  chores,  including  the  occasional  carrying  of  a 
trunk,  other  than  his  own,  to  the  depot. 

6.  "  What  is  the  price  of  an  elephant]  " 

7.  "  Where  can  elephants  be  purchased?" 

Then  would  follow  a  score  of  other  inquiries,  such  as, 
whether  elephants  were  easily  managed ;  if  they  would 
quarrel  with  cattle ;  if  it  was  possible  to  breed  them ; 
how  old  calf  elephants  must  be  before  they  would  earn 
their  own  living  ;  and  so  on  indefinitely.  I  began  to  be 
alarmed  lest  some  one  should  buy  an  elephant,  and  so 
share  the  fate  of  the  man  who  drew  one  in  a  lottery,  and 
did  not  know  what  to  do  with  him.  I  accordingly  had 
a  general  letter  printed,  which  I  mailed  to  all  my  anx 
ious  inquirers.  It  was  headed  "  strictly  confidential," 
and  I  then  stated,  begging  my  correspondents  "  not  to 
mention  it,"  that  to  me  the  elephant  was  a  valuable 
agricultural  animal,  because  he  was  an  excellent  adver* 


OTHER  ENTERPRISES.  359 

tisement  to  my  Museum ;  but  that  to  other  farmers  he 
would  prove  very  unprofitable  for  many  reasons.  In 
the  first  place,  such  an  animal  would  cost  from  $3,000 
to  $10,000  ;  in  cold  weather  he  could  not  work  at  all ; 
in  any  weather  he  could  not  earn  even  half  his  living ; 
he  would  eat  up  the  value  of  his  own  head,  trunk,  and 
body  every  year  ;  and  I  begged  my  correspondents  not 
to  do  so  foolish  a  thing  as  to  undertake  elephant  farming. 
Newspaper  reporters  came  from  far  and  near,  and 
wrote  glowing  accounts  of  the  elephantine  perform 
ances.  One  of  them,  taking  a  political  view  of  the  mat 
ter,  stated  that  the  elephant's  sagacity  showed  that  he 
knew  more  than  did  any  laborer  on  the  farm,  and  yet, 
shameful  to  say,  he  was  not  allowed  to  vote.  Another 
said  that  Bamum's  elephant  built  all  the  stone  wall  on 
the  farm ;  made  all  the  rail  fences ;  planted  corn  with  his 
trunk,  and  covered  it  with  his  foot ;  washed  my  windows 
and  sprinkled  the  walks  and  lawns,  by  taking  water 
from  the  fountain-basin  with  his  trunk;  carried  all  the 
children  to  school,  and  put  them  to  bed  at  night,  tuck 
ing  them  up  with  his  trunk ;  fed  the  pigs ;  picked  fruit 
from  branches  that  could  not  otherwise  be  reached ;, 
turned  the  fanning  mill  and  corn-sheller ;  drew  the 
mowing  machine,  and  turned  and  cocked  the  hay  with 
his  trunk  ;  carried  and  brought  my  letters  to  and  from 
the  post-office  (it  was  a  male  elephant)  ;  and  did  all  the 
chores  about  the  house,  including  milking  the  cows,  and 
bringing  in  eggs.  Pictures  of  Barnum's  plowing  ele 
phant  appeared  in  illustrated  papers  at  home  and 
abroad,  and  as  the  cars  passed  the  scene  of  the  perform 
ance,  passengers'  heads  were  out  of  every  window,  and 
among  many  and  varied  exclamations,  I  heard  of  one 
man's  saying: 

17 


360  *  OTHER  ENTERPRISES. 

"Well,  I  declare  !  That  is  certainly  a  real  elephant 
and  any  man  who  has  so  many  elephants  that  he  can 
afford  to  work  them  on  his  farm,  must  have  lots  of  wild 
animals  and  curious  '  critters '  in  his  Museum,  and  I  am 
bound  to  go  there  the  first  thing  after  my  arrival  in  New 
York." 

The  six  acres  were  plowed  over  at  least  sixty  times 
before  I  thought  the  advertisement  sufficiently  circulated, 
and  I  then  sold  the  elephant  to  Van  Amburgh's  Mena 
gerie. 

A  substantial  farmer  friend  of  mine,  Mr.  Gideon 
Thompson,  called  at  Iranistan  during  the  elephant  excite 
ment  and  asked  me  to  accompany  him  to  the  field  to  let 
him  see  "  how  the  big  animal  worked."  I  knew  him  to 
be  a  shrewd,  sharp  man  and  a  good  farmer,  and  I  tried 
to  excuse  myself,  as  I  did  not  wish  to  be  too  closely 
questioned.  Indeed,  for  the  same  reason,  I  made  it  a 
point  at  all  times  to  avoid  being  present  when  the  plow 
ing  was  going  on.  But  the  old  farmer  was  a  particular 
friend  and  he  refused  to  take  "  no  "  for  an  answer  ;  so 
I  went  with  him  "  to  see  the  elephant." 

Arriving  at  the  field,  Mr.  Thompson  said  nothing,  but 
stood  with  folded  arms  and  sedately  watched  the  ele 
phant  for  at  least  fifteen  minutes.  Then  he  walked  out 
on  to  the  plowed  ground,  and  found  it  so  mellow  that  he 
sank  nearly  up  to  his  knees  ;  for  it  had  already  been 
plowed  over  and  over  many  times.  As  usual,  several 
spectators  were  present.  Mr.  Thompson  walked  up  to 
where  I  was  standing,  and,  looking  me  squarely  in  the 
eyes,  he  asked  with  much  earnestness  : 

"  What  is  your  object,  sir,  in  bringing  that  great  Asi* 
atic  animal  on  to  a  New  England  farm  ?  " 

"  To  plow,"  I  replied  very  demurely. 


OTHER  ENTERPRISES.  361 

"  To  plow  !  "  said  Thompson  ;  "  do  n't  talk  to  me 
about  plowing !  I  have  been  out  where  he  has  plowed, 
and  the  ground  is  so  soft  I  thought  I  should  go  through, 
and  come  out  in  China.  No,  sir  !  You  can't  humbug 
me.  You  have  got  some  other  object  in  bringing  that 
elephant  up  here  ;  now  what  is  it  ? " 

"  Do  n't  you  see  for  yourself  that  I  am  plowing  with 
him  V'  I  asked. 

"  Nonsense,"  said  Thompson  "  that  would  never  pay  ; 
I  have  no  doubt  he  eats  more  than  he  earns  every  day ; 
you  have  some  other  purpose  in  view,  I  am  sure  you 
have." 

"  Perhaps  he  does  not  eat  so  much  as  you  think,"  I 
replied ;  "  and  you  see  he  draws  nobly  —  in  fact,  I 
expect  he  will  be  just  the  animal  by  and  by,  to  draw 
saw  logs  to  mill,  and  do  other  heavy  work." 

But  Uncle  Gid.,  was  not  to  be  put  aside  so  easily 
so  he  asked  very  sharply : 

"  How  much  does  he  eat  in  a  day  I " 

"  Oh,"  I  replied  carelessly,  "  not  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  ton  of  hay  and  three  or  four  bushels  of  oats." 

"  Exactly,"  said  Thompson,  his  eyes  glistening  with 
delight  ;  "  that  is  just  about  what  I  expected.  He 
can't  draw  so  much  as  two  pair  of  my  oxen  can,  and  he 
costs  more  than  a  dozen  pair." 

"  You  are  mistaken,  friend  Thompson,"  I  replied 
with  much  gravity  ;  "that  elephant  is  a  powerful 
animal ;  he  can  draw  more  than  forty  yoke  of  oxen, 
and  he  pays  me  well  for  bringing  him  here." 

"  Forty  yoke  of  oxen !"  contemptuously  replied  the 
old  farmer  ;  "  I  do  n't  want  to  tell  you  I  doubt  your 
word,  but  I  would  just  like  to  know  what  he  can 
draw.7' 


362  OTHER  "ENTERPRISES. 

"  He  can  draw  the  attention  of  twenty  millions  of 
American  citizens  to  Barnum's  Museum,"  I  replied. 

"  Oh,  you  can  make  him  pay  in  that  way,  of  course," 
responded  the  old  farmer. 

"  None  but  a  greenhorn  could  ever  have  expected  he 
would  pay  in  any  other  way,"  I  replied. 

The  old  man  gave  a  hearty  laugh,  and  said,  "  Well,  I 
give  it  up.  I  have  been  a  farmer  thirty-five  years,  and 
I  have  only  just  discovered  that  an  elephant  is  a  very 
useful  and  profitable  animal  on  a  farm  —  provided  the 
farmer  also  owns  a  museum." 

In  1851  I  became  a  part  owner  of  the  steamship 
"North  America."  Our  intention  in  buying  it  was  to 
run  it  to  Ireland  as  a  passenger  and  freight  ship.  The 
project  was,  however,  abandoned,  and  Commodore  Cor 
nelius  Vanderbilt  bought  one  half  of  the  steamer,  while 
the  other  half  was  owned  by  three  persons,  of  whom 
I  was  one.  The  steamer  was  sent  around  Cape  Horn 
to  San  Francisco,  and  was  put  into  the  Vanderbilt  line. 

After  she  had  made  several  trips  I  called  upon  Mr. 
Vanderbilt,  at  his  office,  and  introduced  myself,  as  this 
was  the  first  time  we  had  met. 

"  Is  it  possible  you  are  Barnum  ? "  exclaimed  the 
Commodore,  in  surprise,  "  why,  I  expected  to  see  a 
monster,  part  lion,  part  elephant,  and  a  mixture  of 
rhinoceros  and  tiger !  Is  it  possible,"  he  continued, 
"  that  you  are  the  showman  who  has  made  so  much 
noise  in  the  world  V 

I  laughingly  replied  that  I  was,  and  added  that  if  I  too 
had  been  governed  in  my  anticipation  of  his  personal 
appearance  by  the  fame  he  had  achieved  in  his  line,  I 
should  have  expected  to  have  been  saluted  by  a  steam 
whistle,  and  to  have  seen  him  dressed  in  a  pea  jacket, 


OTHER  ENTERPRISES.  363 

blowing  off  steam,  and  crying  out  "  all  aboard  that's 
going." 

"  Instead  of  which,"  replied  Mr.  Vanderbilt,  "  I  sup 
pose  you  have  come  to  ask  me,  '  to  walk  up  to  the 
Captain's  office  and  settle.' ' 

After  this  interchange  of  civilities,  we  talked  about 
the  success  of  the  "North  America"  in  having  got 
safely  around  the  Horn,  and  of  the  acceptable  manner 
in  which  she  was  doing  her  duty  on  the  Pacific  side. 

"  We  have  received  no  statement  of  her  earnings 
yet,"  said  the  Commodore,  "  but  if  you  want  money, 
give  your  receipt  to  our  treasurer,  and  take  some." 

A  few  months  subsequent  to  this,  I  sold  out  my  share 
in  the  steamship  to  Mr.  Daniel  Drew.  The  day  after 
closing  with  Mr.  Drew,  I  discovered  an  error  of  several 
hundred  dollars  (a  matter  of  interest  on  some  portion  of 
the  purchase  money,  which  had  been  overlooked).  I 
called  on  Mr.  Drew,  and  asked  him  to  correct  it,  but 
could  get  no  satisfaction.  I  then  wrote  him  a  threaten 
ing  letter,  but  received  no  response.  I  was  on  the  eve 
of  suing  him  for  the  amount  due  me,  when  the  news 
came  that  the  steamship  "  North  America "  was  lying 
at  the  bottom  of  the  Pacific.  It  turned  out  that  she 
was  sunk  several  days  before  I  sold  out,  and  as  the 
owners  were  mulcted  in  the  sum  of  many  thousands  of 
dollars  damages  by  their  passengers,  besides  suffering 
a  great  loss  in  their  steamship,  I  said  no  more  to  the 
millionnaire  Drew  about  the  few  hundreds  which  he  had 
withheld  from  the  showman. 

Some  reference  to  the  various  enterprises  and  "  side 
shows"  connected  with  and  disconnected  from  my 
Museum,  is  necessary  to  show  how  industriously  I  have 
catered  for  the  public's  amusement,  not  only  in  America 


864  OTHER  ENTERPRISES. 

but  abroad.  When  I  was  in  Paris  in  1844,  in  addition 
to  the  purchase  of  Robert  Houdin's  ingenious  automa 
ton  writer,  and  many  other  costly  curiosities  for  the 
Museum,  I  ordered,  at  an  expense  of  $3,000,  a  pano 
ramic  diorama  of  the  obsequies  of  Napoleon.  Every 
event  of  that  grand  pageant,  from  the  embarkation  of  the 
body  at  St.  Helena,  to  its  entombment  at  the  Hotel  des 
Invalides,  amid  the  most  gorgeous  parade  ever  witnessed 
in  France,  was  wonderfully  depicted.  This  exhibition, 
after  having  had  its  day  at  the  American  Museum,  was 
sold,  and  extensively  and  profitably  exhibited  else 
where.  While  I  was  in  London,  during  the  same  year,  I 
engaged  a  company  of  "  Campanalogians,  or  Lancashire 
Bell  Ringers,"  then  performing  in  Ireland,  to  make  an 
American  tour.  They  were  really  admirable  perform 
ers,  and  by  means  of  their  numerous  bells,  of  various 
sizes,  they  produced  the  most  delightful  music.  Tljey 
attracted  much  attention  in  various  parts  of  the  United 
States,  in  Canada,  and  in  Cuba. 

As  a  compensation  to  England  for  the  loss  of  the  Bell 
Ringers,  I  despatched  an  agent  to  America  for  a  party 
of  Indians,  including  squaws.  He  proceeded  to  Iowa, 
and  returned  to  London  with  a  company  of  sixteen. 
They  were  exhibited  by  Mr.  Catlin  on  our  joint  account, 
and  were  finally  left  in  his  sole  charge. 

On  my  first  return  visit  to  America  from  Europe,  I 
engaged  Mr.  Faber,  an  elderly  and  ingenious  German, 
who  had  constructed  an  automaton  speaker.  It  was  of 
life-size,  and  when  worked  with  keys  similar  to  those 
of  a  piano,  it  really  articulated  words  and  sentences 
with  surprising  distinctness.  My  agent  exhibited  it  for 
several  months  in  Egyptian  Hall,  London,  and  also  in 
the  provinces.  This  was  a  marvellous  piece  of  median- 


OTHER  ENTERPRISES.  365 

ism,  though  for  some  unaccountable  reason  it  did  not 
prove  a  success.  The  Duke  of  Wellington  visited  it 
several  times,  and  at  first  he  thought  that  the  "voice" 
proceeded  from  the  exhibitor,  whom  he  assumed  to  be 
a  skillful  ventriloquist.  He  was  asked  to  touch  the  keys 
with  his  own  fingers,  and  after  some  instruction  in  the 
method  of  operating,  he  was  able  to  make  the  machine 
speak,  not  only  in  English  but  also  in  German,  with 
which  language  the  Duke  seemed  familiar.  Thereafter, 
he  entered  his  name  on  the  exhibitor's  autograph  book, 
and  certified  that  the  "  Automaton  Speaker"  was  an 
extraordinary  production  of  mechanical  genius. 

During  my  first  visit  to  England  I  obtained,  verbally, 
through  a  friend,  the  refusal  of  the  house  in  which 
Shakespeare  was  born,  designing  to  remove  it  in  sections 
to  my  Museum  in  New  York ;  but  the  project  leaked  out, 
British  pride  was  touched,  and  several  English  gentle 
men  interfered  and  purchased  the  premises  for  a  Shakes 
pearian  Association.  Had  they  slept  a  few  days  longer, 
I  should  have  made  a  rare  speculation,  for  I  was  subse 
quently  assured  that  the  British  people,  rather  than  suf 
fer  that  house  to  be  removed  to  America,  would  have 
bought  me  off  with  twenty  thousand  pounds.  I  did  not 
hesitate  to  engage,  or  attempt  to  secure  anything,  at 
any  expense,  to  please  my  patrons  in  the  United  States, 
and  I  made  an  effort  to  transfer  Madame  Tussaud's 
world-wide  celebrated  wax- work  collection  entire  to  New 
York.  The  papers  were  actually  drawn  up  for  this 
engagement,  but  the  enterprise  finally  fell  through. 

The  models  of  machinery  exhibited  in  the  Royal  Poly 
technic  Institution  in  London,  pleased  me  so  well  that 
I  procured  a  duplicate  ;  also  duplicates  of  the  "  Dissolv 
ing  Views,"  the  Chromatrope  and  Physioscope,  includ- 


366  OTHER  ENTERPRISES. 

ing  many  American  scenes  painted  expressly  to  my 
order,  at  an  aggregate  cost  of  $7,000.  After  they  had 
been  exhibited  in  my  Museum,  they  were  sold  to  itiner 
ant  showmen,  and  some  of  them  were  afterwards  on 
exhibition  in  various  parts  of  the  United  States. 

In  June  1850,  I  added  the  celebrated  Chinese  Collec 
tion  to  the  attractions  of  the  American  Museum,  I  also 
engaged  the  Chinese  Family,  consisting  of  two  men, 
two  "  small-footed  "  women  and  two  children.  My  agent 
exhibited  them  in  London  during  the  World's  Fair. 
It  may  be  stated  here,  that  I  subsequently  sent  to  Lon 
don  the  celebrated  artist  De  Lamano  to  paint  a  pano 
rama  of  the  Crystal  Palace,  in  which  the  World's  Fail- 
was  held,  and  Colonel  John  S,  Dusolle,  an  able  and 
accomplished  editor,  whom  I  sent  with  De  Lamano, 
wrote  an  accompanying  descriptive  lecture.  Like  most 
panoramas,  however,  the  exhibition  proved  a  failure. 

The  giants  whom  I  sent  to  America  were  not  the 
greatest  of  my  curiosities,  though  the  dwarfs  might  have 
been  the  least.  The  "  Scotch  Boys  "  were  interesting, 
not  so  much  on  account  of  their  weight,  as  for  the  mys 
terious  method  by  which  one  of  them,  though  blind 
folded,  answered  questions  put  by  the  other  respecting 
objects  presented  by  persons  who  attended  the  surpris 
ing  exhibition.  The  mystery,  which  was  merely  the 
result  of  patient  practice,  consisted  wholly  in  the  man 
ner  in  which  the  question  was  propounded ;  in  fact,  the 
question  invariably  carried  its  own  answer ;  for  instance : 

"  What  is  this  I "  meant  gold ;  "  Now  what  is  this  I  " 
silver  ;  "  Say  what  is  this  I  "  copper ;  "  Tell  me  what 
this  is,"  iron ;  "  What  is  the  shape  I "  long  ;  "  Now  what 
shape  I "  round ;  "  Say  what  shape,"  square ;  "  Please  say 
what  this  is,"  a  watch ;  "  Can  you  tell  what  is  in  this 


OTHER  ENTERPRISES.  367 

lady's  hand  ?  "  a  purse  ;  "  Now  please  say  what  this  is  ]  " 
a  key ;  "  Come  now,  what  is  this  ? "  money ;  "  How 
much?"  a  penny ;  "  Now  how  much  ? "  sixpence  ;  "  Say 
how  much,"  a  quarter  of  a  dollar ;  "  What  color  is  this  I " 
black;  "Now  what  color  is  this?"  red;  "Say  what 
color,"  green ;  and  so  on,  ad  inftnitum.  To  such  per 
fection  was  this  brought  that  it  was  almost  impossible 
to  present  any  object  that  could  not  be  quite  closely 
described  by  the  blindfolded  boy.  This  is  the  key  to  all 
exhibitions  of  what  is  called  "  second  sight." 

In  1850,  the  celebrated  Bateman  children  acted  for 
several  weeks  at  the  American  Museum  and  in  June  of 
that  year  I  sent  them  to  London  with  their  father  and 
Mr.  Le  Grand  Smith,  where  they  played  in  the  St.  James 
Theatre,  and  afterwards  in  the  principal  provincial  thea 
tres.  The  elder  of  these  children,  Miss  Kate  Bateman, 
subsequently  attained  the  highest  histrionic  distinction  in 
America  and  abroad,  and  reached  the  very  head  of  her 
profession. 

In  October,  1852,  having  stipulated  with  Mr.  George 
A.  Wells  and  Mr.  Bushnell  that  they  should  share  in  the 
enterprise  and  take  the  entire  charge,  I  engaged  Miss 
Catherine  Hayes  and  Herr  Begnis  to  give  a  series  of 
sixty  concerts  in  California,  and  the  engagement  was  ful 
filled  to  our  entire  satisfaction.  Mr.  Bushnell  after 
wards  went  to  Australia  with  Miss  Hayes  and  they  were 
subsequently  married.  Both  of  them  are  dead. 

Before  setting  out  for  California,  Miss  Catherine 
Hayes,  her  mother  and  sister  spent  several  days  at  Iran- 
istan  and  were  present  at  the  marriage  of  my  eldest 
daughter,  Caroline,  to  Mr.  David  W.  Thompson.  The 
wedding  was  to  take  place  in  the  evening,  and  in  the 
afternoon  I  was  getting  shaved  in  a  barber-shop  in 


368  OTHER  ENTERPRISES. 

Bridgeport,  when  Mr.  Thompson  drove  up  to  the  door 
in  great  haste  and  exclaimed : 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  Iranistan  is  in  flames  !  " 

I  ran  out  half-shaved,  with  the  lather  on  my  face, 
jumped  into  his  wagon  and  bade  him  drive  home  with 
all  speed.  I  was  greatly  alarmed,  for  the  house  was 
full  of  visitors  who  had  come  from  a  distance  to  attend 
the  wedding,  and  all  the  costly  presents,  dresses,  refresh 
ments,  and  everything  prepared  for  a  marriage  celebra 
tion  to  which  nearly  a  thousand  guests  had  been  invited, 
were  already  in  my  house.  Mr.  Thompson  told  me  that 
he  had  seen  the  flames  bursting  from  the  roof  and  it 
seemed  to  me  that  there  was  little  hope  of  saving  the 
building. 

My  mind  was  distressed,  not  so  much  at  the  great 
pecuniary  loss  which  the  destruction  of  Iranistan  would 
involve  as  at  the  possibility  that  some  of  my  family  or 
visitors  would  be  killed  or  seriously  injured  in  attempt 
ing  to  save  something  from  the  fire.  Then  I  thought  of 
the  sore  disappointment  this  calamity  would  cause  to  the 
young  couple,  as  well  as  to  those  who  were  invited  to 
the  wedding.  I  saw  that  Mr,  Thompson  looked  pale 
and  anxious. 

"  Never  mind!"  said  I ;  "we  can't  help  these  things  ; 
the  house  will  probably  be  burned ;  but  if  no  one  is 
killed  or  injured,  you  shall  be  married  to-night,  if  we 
are  obliged  to  perform  the  cersmony  in  the  coach 
house." 

On  our  way,  we  overtook  a  fire-company  and  I 
implored  them  to  "  hurry  up  their  machine."  Arriving 
in  sight  of  Iranistan  we  saw  huge  volumes  of  smoke 
rolling  out  from  the  roof  and  many  men  on  the  top 
of  the  house  were  passing  buckets  of  water  to  pour 


MO  uwrtiiw    GIIO  YE  CE  METER  r. 


OTHER  ENTERPRISES.  369 

upon  the  fire.  Fortunately,  several  men  had  been  en 
gaged  during  the  day  in  repairing  the  roof,  and  their  lad 
ders  were  against  the  house.  By  these  means  and  with 
the  assistance  of  the  men  employed  upon  my  grounds, 
water  was  passed  very  rapidly  and  the  flames  were 
soon  subdued- without  serious  damage.  The  inmates  of 
Iranistan  were  thoroughly  frightened ;  Catherine  Hayes 
and  other  visitors  packed  their  trunks  and  had  them 
carried  out  on  the  lawn ;  and  the  house  came  as  near 
destruction  as  it  well  could,  and  escape. 

While  Miss  Hayes  was  in  Bridgeport  I  induced  her 
to  give  a  concert  for  the  benefit  of  the  "  Mountain 
Grove  Cemetery,"  and  the  large  proceeds  were  devoted 
to  the  erection  of  the  beautiful  stone  tower  and  gate 
way  at  the  entrance  of  that  charming  ground.  The 
land  for  this  cemetery,  about  eighty  acres,  had  been 
bought  by  me,  years  before,  from  several  farmers.  I 
had  often  shot  over  the  ground  while  hunting  a  year 
or  two  before,  and  had  then  seen  its  admirable  capabili 
ties  for  the  purpose  to  which  it  was  eventually  devoted. 
After  deeds  for  the  property  were  secured,  it  was 
offered  for  a  cemetery,  and  at  a  meeting  of  citizens 
several  lots  were  subscribed  for,  enough,  indeed,  to 
cover  the  amount  of  the  purchase  money.  Thus  was 
begun  the  "  Mountain  Grove  Cemetery,"  which  is  now 
beautifully  laid  out  and  adorned  with  many  tasteful 
and  costly  monuments.  Among  these  are  my  own  sub- 
stantial  granite  monument,  the  family  monuments  of 
Harral,  Bishop,  Hubbell,  Lyon,  Wood,  Loomis,  Wor- 
din,  Hyde,  and  others,  and  General  Tom  Thumb  has 
erected  a  tall  marble  shaft  which  is  surmounted  by 
a  life-size  statue  of  himself.  There  is  no  more  charm 
ing  burial  ground  in  the  whole  country ;  yet  when  the 


370  OTHER  ENTERPRISES. 

project  was  suggested,  many  persons  preferred  an  inter- 
mural  cemetery  to  this  rural  resting-place  for  their 
departed  friends ;  though  now,  all  concur  in  considering 
it  fortunate  that  this  adjunct  was  secured  to  Bridgeport 
before  the  land  could  be  permanently  devoted  to  other 
purposes. 

Some  time  afterwards,  when  Mr.  Dion  Boucicault  vis- 
ited  me  at  Bridgeport,  at  my  solicitation  he  gave  a  lec 
ture  for  the  benefit  of  this  cemetery.  I  may  add  that  on 
several  occasions  I  have  secured  the  services  of  General 
Tom  Thumb  and  others  for  this  and  equally  worthy 
objects  in  Bridgeport.  When  the  General  first  returned 
with  me  from  England,  he  gave  exhibitions  for  the  ben 
efit  of  the  Bridgeport  Charitable  Society.  September 
28,  1867,  I  induced  him  and  his  wife,  with  Commodore 
Nutt  and  Minnie  Warren  to  give  their  entertainment 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Bridgeport  Library,  thus  adding 
$475  to  the  funds  of  that  institution  ;  and  on  one  occa 
sion  I  lectured  to  a  full  house  in  the  Methodist  Church, 
and  the  entire  receipts  were  given  to  the  library,  of 
which  I  was  already  a  life  member,  on  account  of  pre 
vious  subscriptions  and  contributions. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

WORK  AND  PLAY. 

ALFRED  BUNN,  OF  DRURY  LANE  THEATRE  —  AMUSING  INTERVIEW  —  MR.  LEVY, 
OF  THE  LONDON  DAILY  TELEGRAPH  —  VACATIONS  AT  HOME  —  MY  PRESIDENCY 
OF  THE  FAIRFIELD  COUNTY  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY  —  EXHIBITING  A  PICK 
POCKET  —  PHILOSOPHY  OF  HUMBUG  —  A  CHOP-FALLEN  TICKET-SELLER  —  A 
PROMPT  PAYMASTER — BARNUM  IN  BOSTON  —  A  DELUDED  HACK  DRIVER  — 
PHILLIPS'S  FIRE  ANNLHILATOR  —  HONORABLE  ELISHA  WHITTLESEY  —  TRIAL 
OF  THE  ANNIHILATOR  IN  NEW  YORK  —  PEQUONNOCK  BANK  OF  BRIDGEPORT 
—  THE  ILLUSTRATED  NEWS — THE  WORLD'S  FAIR  IN  NEW  YORK  —  MY  PRES 
IDENCY  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  — ATTEMPT  TO  EXCITE  PUBLIC  INTEREST  — 
MONSTER  JULLIEN  CONCERTS  —  RESIGNATION  OF  THE  CRYSTAL  PALACE  PRES 
IDENCY —  FAILURE  OF  THE  CONCERN. 

IN  the  summer,  I  think,  of  1853,  I  saw  it  announced 
in  the  newspapers  that  Mr.  Alfred  Bunn,  the  great 
ex-manager  of  Drury  Lane  Theatre,  in  London,  had 
arrived  in  Boston.  Of  course,  I  knew  Mr.  Bunn  by 
reputation,  not  only  from  his  managerial  career,  but 
from  the  fact  that  he  made  the  first"  engagement  with 
Jenny  Lind  to  appear  in  London.  This  engagement, 
however,  Mr.  Lumley,  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre,  induced 
her  to  break,  he  standing  a  lawsuit  with  Mr.  Bunn,  and 
paying  heavy  damages.  I  had  never  met  Mr.  Bunn,  but 
he  took  it  for  granted  that  I  had  seen  him,  for  one  day 
after  his  arrival  in  this  country,  a  burly  Englishman 
abruptly  stepped  into  my  private  office  in  the  Museum, 
and  assuming  a  theatrical  attitude,  addressed  me : 

"  Barnum,  do  you  remember  me  ] " 


372  WORK  AND  PLAY. 

I  was  confident  I  had  never  seen  the  man  before,  but 
it  struck  me  at  once  that  no  Englishman  I  ever  heard 
of  would  be  likely  to  exhibit  more  presumption  01 
assumption  than  the  ex-manager  of  Drury  Lane,  and  1 
jumped  at  the  conclusion : 

" Is  not  this  Mr.  Bunn?" 

"  Ah !  Ah !  my  boy !  "  he  exclaimed,  slapping  me 
familiarly  on  the  back,  "  I  thought  you  would  remember 
me.  Well,  Barnum,  how  have  you  been  since  I  last 
saw  you  ? " 

I  replied  in  a  manner  that  would  humor  his  impres 
sion  that  we  were  old  acquaintances,  and  during  his  two 
hours'  visit  we  had  much  gossip  about  men  and  things  in 
London.  He  called  upon  me  several  times,  and  it  prob 
ably  never  entered  into  his  mind  that  I  could  possibly 
have  been  in  London  two  or  three  years  without  having 
made  the  personal  acquaintance  of  so  great  a  lion  as 
Alfred  Bunn. 

I  met  Mr.  Bunn  again  in  1858,  in  London,  at  a  din 
ner  party  of  a  mutual  friend,  Mr.  Levy,  proprietor  of 
the  London  Daily  Telegraph.  Of  course,  Bunn  and  I 
were  great  chums  and  very  old  and  intimate  acquaint 
ances.  At  the  same  dinner,  I  met  several  literary  and 
dramatic  gentlemen. 

In  1851,  1852,  and  1853, 1  spent  much  of  my  time 
at  my  beautiful  home  in  Bridgeport,  going  very  fre- 
.quently  to  New  York,  to  attend  to  matters  in  the 
Museum,  but  remaining  in  the  city  only  a  day  or  two  at 
a  time.  I  resigned  the  office  of  President  of  the  Fair- 
field  County  Agricultural  Society  in  1853,  but  the  mem 
bers  accepted  my  resignation,  only  on  condition  that  it 
should  not  go  into  effect  until  after  the  fair  of  1854. 
During  my  administration,  the  society  held  six  fairs  and 


WORK  AND  PLAY.  373 

cattle-shows,  —  four  in  Bridgeport  and  two  in  Stam 
ford, —  and  the  interest  in  these  gatherings  increased 
from  year  to  year. 

Pickpockets  are  always  present  at  these  country  fairs, 
and  every  year  there  were  loud  complaints  of  the  depre 
dations  of  these  operators.  In  1853  a  man  was  caught 
in  the  act  of  taking  a  pocket-book  from  a  country 
farmer,  nor  was  this  farmer  the  only  one  who  had  suf 
fered  in  the  same  way.  The  scamp  was  arrested,  and 
proved  to  be  a  celebrated  English  pickpocket.  As  the 
Fair  would  close  the  next  day,  and  as  most  persons  had 
already  visited  it,  we  expected  our  receipts  would  be 
light. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  detected  party  was  legally 
examined,  plead  guilty,  and  was  bound  over  for  trial. 
I  obtained  consent  from  the  sheriff  that  the  culprit 
should  be  put  in  the  Fair  room  for  the  purpose  of 
giving  those  who  had  been  robbed  an  opportunity  to 
identify  him.  For  this  purpose  he  was  handcuffed,  and 
placed  in  a  conspicuous  position,  where  of  course  he 
was  "  the  observed  of  all  observers."  I  then  issued 
handbills,  stating  that  as  it  was  the  last  day  of  the  Fair, 
the  managers  were  happy  to  announce  that  they  had 
secured  extra  attractions  for  the  occasion,  and  would 
accordingly  exhibit,  safely  handcuffed,  and  without  extra 
charge,  a  live  pickpocket,  who  had  been  caught  in  the 
act  of  robbing  an  honest  farmer  the  day  previous. 
Crowds  of  people  rushed  in  "  to  see  the  show."  Some 
good  mothers  brought  their  children  ten  miles  for  that 
purpose,  and  our  treasury  was  materially  benefited  by 
the  operation. 

At  the  close  of  my  presidency  in  1854, 1  was  requested 
to  deliver  the  opening  speech  at  our  County  Fair,  which 


374:  WORK  AND  PLAY. 

was  held  at  Stamford.  As  I  was  not  able  to  give  agricul1- 
tural  advice,  I  delivered  a  portion  of  my  lecture  on  the 
"  Philosophy  of  Humbug."  The  next  morning,  as  I 
was  being  shaved  in  the  village  barber's  shop,  which 
was  at  the  time  crowded  with  customers,  the  ticket- 
seller  to  the  Fair  came  in. 

"What  kind  of  a  house  did  you  have  last  night?" 
asked  one  of  the  gentlemen  in  waiting, 

"  Oh,  first-rate,  of  course.  Barnum  always  draws  a 
crowd,"  was  the  reply  of  the  ticket-seller,  to  whom  I 
was  not  known. 

Most  of  the  gentlemen  present,  however,  knew  me, 
and  they  found  much  difficulty  in  restraining  their 
laughter. 

"  Did  Barnum  make  a  good  speech  ? "  I  asked. 

"  I  did  not  hear  it.  I  was  out  in  the  ticket-office.  I 
guess  it  was  pretty  good,  for  I  never  heard  so  much 
laughing  as  there  was  all  through  his  speech.  But  it 
makes  no  difference  whether  it  was  good  or  not,"  con 
tinued  the  ticket-seller,  "  the  people  will  go  to  see  Bar 
num." 

"  Barnum  must  be  a  curious  chap,"  I  remarked. 

"  Well,  I  guess  he  is  up  to  all  the  dodges." 

"  Do  you  know  him  ? "  I  asked. 

"  Not  personally,"  he  replied  ;  "  but  I  always  get  into 
the  Museum  for  nothing.  I  know  the  doorkeeper,  and 
he  slips  me  in  free." 

"  Barnum  would  not  like  that,  probably,  if  he  knew 
it,"  I  remarked. 

"  But  it  happens  he  don't  know  it,"  replied  the  ticket- 
seller,  in  great  glee. 

"  Barnum  was  on  the  cars  the  other  day,  on  his  way 
to  Bridgeport,"  said  I,  "  and  I  heard  one  of  the  passeiv 


WORK  AND  PLAY.  375 

gers  blowing  him  up  terribly  as  a  humbug.  He  was 
addressing  Barnum  at  the  time,  but  did  not  know  him. 
Barnum  joined  in  lustily,  and  indorsed  everything  the 
man  said.  When  the  passenger  learned  whom  he  had 
been  addressing,  I  should  think  he  must  have  felt  rather 
flat." 

"  I  should  think  so,  too,"  said  the  ticket  seller. 

This  was  too  much,  and  we  all  indulged  in  a  burst 
of  laughter ;  still  the  ticket-seller  suspected  nothing. 
After  I  had  left  the  shop,  the  barber  told  him  who  I 
was.  I  called  into  the  ticket-office  on  business  several 
times  during  the  day,  but  the  poor  ticket-seller  kept  his 
face  turned  from  me,  and  appeared  so  chap-fallen  that 
I  did  not  pretend  to  recognize  him  as  the  hero  of  the 
joke  in  the  barber's  shop. 

This  incident  reminds  me  of  numerous  similar  ones 
which  have  occurred  at  various  times.  On  one  occasion 
—  it  was  in  1847  —  I  was  on  board  the  steamboat  from 
New  York  to  Bridgeport.  As  we  approached  the  har 
bor  of  the  latter  city,  a  stranger  desired  me  to  point  out 
"  Barnum's  house "  from  the  upper  deck.  I  did  so, 
whereupon  a  bystander  remarked,  "  I  know  all  about 
that  house,  for  I  was  engaged  in  painting  there  for  sev 
eral  months  while  Barnum  was  in  Europe."  He  then 
proceeded  to  say  that  it  was  the  meanest  and  most  ill- 
contrived  house  he  ever  saw.  "  It  will  cost  old  Barnum 
a  mint  of  money,  and  not  be  worth  two  cents  after  it  is 
finished,"  he  added. 

"  I  suppose  old  Barnum  don't  pay  very  punctually," 
I  remarked. 

"  Oh,  yes,  he  pays  punctually  every  Saturday  night  — 
there's  no  trouble  about  that ;  he  has  made  half  a  million 
by  exhibiting  a  little  boy  whom  he  took  from  Bridgeport, 


376  WORK  AND  PLAY. 

and  whom  we  never  considered  any  great  shakes  till 
Barnum  took  him  and  trained  him." 

Soon  afterwards  one  of  the  passengers  told  him  who 
I  was,  whereupon  he  secreted  himself,  and  was  not  seen 
again  while  I  remained  on  the  boat. 

On  another  occasion,  I  went  to  Boston  by  the  Fall 
River  route.  Arriving  before  sunrise,  I  found  but  one 
carriage  at  the  depot.  I  immediately  engaged  it,  and 
giving  the  driver  the  check  for  my  baggage,  told  him  to 
take  me  directly  to  the  Revere  House,  as  I  was  in  great 
haste,  and  enjoined  him  to  take  in  no  other  passengers, 
and  I  would  pay  his  demands.  He  promised  compliance 
with  my  wishes,  but  soon  afterwards  appeared  with  a 
gentleman,  two  ladies,  and  several  children,  whom  he 
crowded  into  the  carriage  with  me,  and  placing  their 
trunks  on  the  baggage  rack,  started  off.  I  thought 
there  was  no  use  in  grumbling,  and  consoled  myself 
with  the  reflection  that  the  Revere  House  was  not  far 
away.  He  drove  up  one  street  and  down  another, 
for  what  seemed  to  me  a  very  long  time,  but  I  was 
wedged  in  so  closely  that  I  could  not  see  what  route  he 
was  taking. 

After  half  an  hour's  drive  he  halted,  and  I  found  we 
were  at  the  Lowell  Railway  depot.  Here  my  fellow- 
passengers  alighted,  and  after  a  long  delay  the  driver 
delivered  their  baggage,  received  his  fare,  and  was  about 
closing  the  carriage  door  preparatory  to  starting  again. 
I  was  so  thoroughly  vexed  at  the  shameful  manner  in 
which  he  had  treated  me,  that  I  remarked  ; 

"  Perhaps  you  had  better  wait  till  the  Lowell  train 
arrives ;  you  may  possibly  get  another  load  of  passen 
gers.  Of  course  my  convenience  is  of  no  consequence. 
I  suppose  if  you  land  me  at  the  Revere  House  any 


WORK  AND  PLAY.  377 

time  this  week,  it  will  be  as  much  as  I  have  a  right  to 
expect." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  replied,  "  but  that  was  Bar 
num  and  his  family.  He  was  very  anxious  to  get  here 
in  time  for  the  first  train,  so  I  stuck  him  for  $2,  and  now 
I'll  carry  you  to  the  Eevere  House  free." 

"  What  Barnum  is  it  ? "  I  asked. 

"  The  Museum  and  Jenny  Lind  man,"   he  replied. 

The  compliment  and  the  shave  both  having  been 
intended  for  me,  I  was  of  course  mollified,  and  replied, 
"  You  are  mistaken,  my  friend,  /  am  Barnum." 

"  Coachee  "  was  thunderstruck,  and  offered  all  sorts 
of  apologies. 

"  A  friend  at  the  other  depot  told  me  that  I  had 
Mr.  Barnum  on  board,"  said  he,  "  and  I  really  supposed 
he  meant  the  other  man.  When  I  come  to  notice  you, 
I  perceive  my  mistake,  but  I  hope  you  will  forgive  me. 
I  have  carried  you  frequently  before,  and  hope  you  will 
give  me  your  custom  while  you  are  in  Boston.  I  never 
will  make  such  a  mistake  again."  I  had  to  be  satisfied. 

Late  in  August,  1851,  I  was  visited  at  Bridgeport  by 
a  gentleman  who  was  interested  in  an  English  invention 
patented  in  this  country,  and  known  as  Phillips'  Fire 
Annihilator,  He  showed  me  a  number  of  certificates 
from  men  of  eminence  and  trustworthiness  in  England, 
setting  forth  the  merits  of  the  invention  in  the  highest 
terms.  The  principal  value  of  the  machine  seemed  to 
consist  in  its  power  to  extinguish  flame,  and  thus  pre 
vent  the  spread  of  fire  when  it  once  broke  out.  Besides, 
the  steam  or  vapor  generated  in  the  Annihilator  was  not 
prejudicial  to  human  life.  Now,  as  water  has  no  effect 
whatever  upon  flame,  it  was  obvious  that  the  Annihi 
lator  would  at  the  least  prove  a  great  assistant  in  extin- 


378  WORK  AND   PLAY. 

guishing  conflagrations,  and  that,  especially  in  the  incip 
ient  stage  of  a  fire,  it  would  extinguish  it  altogether, 
without  damage  to  goods  or  other  property,  as  is  usually 
the  case  with  water. 

Hon.  Elisha  Whittlesey,  First  Comptroller  of  the 
United  States  Treasury  at  Washington,  was  interested  in 
the  American  patent,  and  the  gentleman  that  called 
upon  me  desired  that  I  should  also  take  an  interest  in 
it.  I  had  no  disposition  to  engage  in  any  speculation  ; 
but,  believing  this  might  prove  a  beneficent  invention, 
and  be  the  means  of  saving  a  vast  amount  of  human 
life  as  well  as  property,  I  visited  Washington  City  for 
the  purpose  of  conferring  with  Mr.  Whittlesey,  Hon.  J. 
W.  Allen  and  other  parties  interested. 

I  was  there  shown  numerous  certificates  of  fires 
having  been  extinguished  by  the  machine  in  Great 
Britain,  and  property  to  the  amount  of  many  thousands 
of  pounds  saved.  I  also  saw  that  Lord  Brougham  had 
proposed  in  Parliament  that  every  Government  vessel 
should  be  compelled  to  have  the  Fire  Annihilator  on 
board.  Mr.  Whittlesey  expressed  his  belief  in  writing, 
that  "  if  there  is  any  reliance  to  be  placed  on  human 
testimony,  it  is  one  of  the  greatest  discoveries  of  this 
most  extraordinary  age."  I  fully  agreed  with  him,  and 
have  never  yet  seen  occasion  to  change  that  opinion. 

I  agreed  to  join  in  the  enterprise.  Mr.  Whittlesey 
was  elected  President,  and  I  was  appointed  Secretary 
and  General  Agent  of  the  Company.  I  opened  the 
office  of  the  Company  in  New  York,  and  sold  and 
engaged  machines  and  territory  in  a  few  months  to  the 
amount  of  $180,000.  I  refused  to  receive  more  than  a 
small  portion  of  the  purchase  money  until  a  public 
experiment  had  tested  the  powers  of  the  machine,  and 


WORK  AND  PLAY.  379 

I  voluntarily  delivered  to  every  purchaser  an  agreement, 
signed  by  myself,  in  the  following  words: 

"  If  the  public  test  and  demonstration  are  not  per 
fectly  successful,  I  will  at  any  time  when  demanded, 
within  ten  days  after  the  public  trial,  refund  and  pay 
back  every  shilling  that  has  been  paid  into  this  office 
for  machines  or  territory  for  the  sale  of  the  patent." 

The  public  trial  came  off  in  Hamilton  Square  on  the 
18th  December,  1851.  It  was  an  exceedingly  cold  and 
inclement  day,  Mr.  Phillips,  who  conducted  the  experi 
ment,  was  interfered  with  and  knocked  down  by  some 
rowdies  who  were  opposed  to  the  invention,  and  the 
building  was  ignited  and  consumed  after  he  had  extin 
guished  the  previous  fire.  Subsequently  to  this  unex 
pected  and  unjust  opposition,  I  refunded  every  cent 
which  I  had  received,  sometimes  against  the  wishes  of 
those  who  had  purchased,  for  they  were  willing  to  wait 
the  result  of  further  experiments ;  but  I  was  utterly 
disgusted  with  the  course  of  a  large  portion  of  the 
public  upon  a  subject  in  which  they  were  much  more 
deeply  interested  than  I  was. 

The  arrangements  of  the  Annihilator  Company  with 
Mr.  Phillips,  the  inventor,  predicated  all  payments 
which  he  was  to  receive  on  bona  fide  sales  which  we 
should  actually  make ;  therefore  he  really  received 
nothing,  and  the  entire  losses  of  the  American  Com 
pany,  which  were  merely  for  advertising  and  the 
expense  of  trying  the  experiments,  hire  of  an  office, 
etc.,  amounted  to  nearly  $30,000,  of  which  my  portion 
was  less  than  $10,000. 

In  the  spring  of  1851  the  Connecticut  Legislature 
chartered  the  Pequonnock  Bank  of  Bridgeport,  with 
a  capital  of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars.  I  had  no 


380  WORK  AND  PLAY. 

interest  whatever  in  the  charter,  and  did  not  even  know- 
that  an  application  was  to  be  made  for  it.  More  banking 
capital  was  needed  in  Bridgeport  in  consequence  of  the 
great  increase  of  trade  and  manufactures  in  that  growing 
and  prosperous  city,  and  this  fact  appearing  in  evidence, 
the  charter  was  granted  as  a  public  benefit.  The  stock- 
books  were,  opened  under  the  direction  of  State  Com 
missioners,  according  to  the  laws  of  the  Commonwealth, 
and  nearly  double  the  amount  of  capital  was  subscribed 
on  the  first  day.  The  stock  was  distributed  by  the 
Commissioners  among  several  hundred  applicants.  Cir 
cumstances  unexpectedly  occurred  which  induced  me  to 
accept  the  presidency  of  the  bank,  in  compliance  with 
the  unanimous  vote  of  its  directors.  Feeling  that  I 
could  not,  from  my  many  avocations,  devote  the  requisite 
personal  attention  to  the  duties  of  the  office,  C.  B.  Hub- 
bell,  Esq.,  then  Mayor  of  Bridgeport,  was  at  my  request 
appointed  Vice -President  of  the  institution. 

In  the  fall  of  1852  a  proposition  was  made  by  certain 
parties  to  commence  the  publication  of  an  illustrated 
weekly  newspaper  in  the  City  of  New  York.  The  field 
seemed  to  be  open  for  such  an  enterprise,  and  I  invested 
twenty  thousand  dollars  in  the  concern,  as  special  part 
ner,  in  connection  with  two  other  gentlemen,  who  each 
contributed  twenty  thousand  dollars,  as  general  partners. 
Within  a  month  after  the  publication  of  the  first  number 
of  the  Illustrated  News,  which  was  issued  on  the  first 
day  of  January,  1853,  our  weekly  circulation  had 
reached  seventy  thousand.  Numerous  and  ajmost 
insurmountable  difficulties,  for  novices  in  the  business, 
continued  however  to  arise,  and  my  partners  becoming 
weary  and  disheartened  with  constant  over-exertion, 
were  anxious  to  wind  up  the  enterprise  at  the  end  of 


WOKK  AND  PLAY. 

the  first  year.  The  good-will  and  the  engravings  were 
sold  to  Gleasoris  Pictorial^  in  Boston,  and  the  concern 
was  closed  without  loss. 

In  1851,  when  the  idea  of  opening  a  World's  Fair  in 
New  York  was  first  broached,  I  was  waited  upon  by 
Mr.  Riddell  and  the  other  originators  of  the  scheme, 
and  invited  to  join  in  getting  it  up.  I  declined,  giving 
as  a  reason  that  such  a  project  was,  in  my  opinion,  pre 
mature.  I  felt  that  it  was  following  quite  too  closely 
upon  its  London  prototype,  and  assured  the  projectors 
that  I  could  see  in  it  nothing  but  certain  loss.  The 
plan,  however,  was  carried  out,  and  a  charter  obtained 
from  the  New  York  Legislature.  The  building  was 
erected  on  a  plot  of  ground  upon  Reservoir  Square, 
leased  to  the  association,  by  the  City  of  New  York,  for 
one  dollar  per  annum.  The  location,  being  four  miles 
distant  from  the  City  Hall,  was  enough  of  itself  to  kill 
the  enterprise.  The  stock  was  readily  taken  up,  how 
ever,  and  the  Crystal  Palace  opened  to  the  public  in 
July,  1853.  Many  thousands  of  strangers  were  brought 
to  New  York,  and  however  disastrous  the  enterprise 
may  have  proved  to  the  stockholders,  it  is  evident  that 
the  general  prosperity  of  the  city  has  been  promoted  far 
beyond  the  entire  cost  of  the  whole  speculation. 

In  February,  1854,  numerous  stockholders  applied  to 
me  to  accept  the  Presidency  of  the  Crystal  Palace,  or, 
as  it  was  termed, <;  The  Association  for  the  Exhibition 
of  the  Industry  of  all  Nations."  I  utterly  declined  lis 
tening  to  such  a  project,  as  I  felt  confident  that  the 
novelty  had  passed  away,  and  that  it  would  be  difficult 
to  revive  public  interest  in  the  affair. 

Shortly  afterwards,  however,  I  was  waited  upon  by 
numerous  influential  gentlemen,  and  strongly  urged  to 

18 


382  WORK  AND  PLAY. 

allow  my  name  to  be  used.  I  repeatedly  objected  to 
this,  and  at  last  consented,  much  against  my  own  judg 
ment.  Having  been  elected  one  of  the  directors,  I  was 
by  that  body  chosen  President.  I  accepted  the  office 
conditionally,  reserving  the  right  to  decline  if  I  thought, 
upon  investigation,  that  there  was  no  vitality  left  in  the 
institution.  Upon  examining  the  accounts  said  to  exist 
against  the  Association,  many  were  pronounced  indefen 
sible  by  those  who  I  supposed  knew  the  facts  in  the  case, 
while  various  debts  existing  against  the  concern  were 
not  exhibited  whea  called  for,  and  I  knew  nothing  of 
their  existence  until  after  I  accepted  the  office  of  Presi 
dent.  I  finally  accepted  it,  only  because  no  suitable 
person  could  be  found  who  was  willing  to  devote  his 
entire  time  and  services  to  the  enterprise,  and  because  I 
was  frequently  urged  by  directors  and  stockholders  to 
take  hold  of  it  for  the  benefit  of  the  city  at  large,  inas 
much  as  it  was  well  settled  that  the  Palace  would  bo 
permanently  closed  early  in  April,  1854,  if  I  did  not 
take  the  helm. 

These  considerations  moved  me,  and  I  entered  upon 
my  duties  with  all  the  vigor  which  I  could  command. 
To  save  it  from  bankruptcy,  I  advanced  large  sums  of 
money  for  the  payment  of  debts,  and  tried  by  every  legit 
imate  means  to  create  an  excitement  and  bring  it  into 
life.  By  extraneous  efforts,  such  as  the  Re-inauguration, 
the  Monster  Concerts  of  Jullien,  the  Celebration  of 
Independence,  etc.,  it  was  temporarily  galvanized,  and 
gave  several  life-like  kicks,  generally  without  material 
results,  except  prostrating  those  who  handled  it  too 
familiarly ;  but  it  was  a  corpse  long  before  I  touched  it, 
and  I  found,  after  a  thorough  trial,  that  my  first  impres 
sion  was  correct,  and  that  so  far  as  my  ability  was  con- 


WOEK  AND  PLAY.  383 

eerned,  "the  dead  could  not  be  raised."  I  therefore 
resigned  the  presidency  and  the  concern  soon  went  into 
liquidation. 

In  1854,  my  esteemed  friend.  Reverend  Moses  Ballon, 
wrote,  and  Redfield,  of  New  York,  published  a  volume 
entitled  "  The  Divine  Character  Vindicated  "  in  which 
he  reviewed  some  of  the  principal  features  of  a  work  by 
the  Rev.  E.  Beecher,  brother  of  Henry  Ward  Beecher, 
"The  Conflict  of  Ages;  or,  the  Great  Debate  on  the 
Moral  Relations  of  God  and  Man."  The  dedication  in 
Rev.  Mr.  Ballou's  volume  was  as  follows : 

To  P.  T.  BARNUM,  ESQ.,  IRANISTAN. 

My  Dear  B.:—I  am  more  deeply  indebted  to  you  for  personal  favors  than  to  any 
other  living  man,  and  I  feel  that  it  is  but  a  poor  acknowledgment  to  beg  your 
acceptance  of  this  volume.  Still,  I  know  that  you  will  value  it  somewhat,  not 
only  for  the  sake  of  our  personal  friendship,  but  because  it  is  an  advocate  of  that 
interpretation  of  Christianity  of  which  you  have  ever  been  a  most  generous  and 
devoted  patron.  With  renewed  assurances  of  my  best  regards, 

I  am,  yours,  always, 

BRIDGEPORT,  January  22, 1854.  M.  B. 

The  following  trifling  incident  which  occurred  at 
Iranistan  in  the  winter  of  1852,  has  been  called  to  my 
mind  by  a  lady  friend  from  Philadelphia,  who  was 
visiting  us  at  the  time.  The  poem  was  sent  to  me  soon 
after  the  occurrence,  but  was  lost  and  the  subject 
forgotten  until  my  Philadelphia  friend  recently  sent  it 
to  me  with  the  wish  that  I  should  insert  it  in  the  present 
volume : 

WINTER     BOUQUETS. 
AN  INCIDENT  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  AN  AMERICAN  CITIZEN. 

THE  poor  man's  garden  lifeless  lay 

Beneath  a  fall  of  snow  ; 
But  Art  in  costly  greenhouses, 

Keeps  Summer  in  full  glow. 
And  Taste  paid  gold  for  bright  bouquets, 

The  parlor  vase  that  drcst, 
That  scented  Fashion 'is  gay  boudoir, 

Or  bloomed  on  Beauty's  breast 


384  WOKK  AND  PLAY. 

A  rich  man  sat  beside  the  fire, 

Within  his  sculptured  halls  ; 
Brave  heart,  clear  head,  and  busy  hand, 

Had  reared  those  stately  walls. 
He  to  his  gardener  spake,  and  said 

In  tone  of  quiet  glee  — 
"  I  want  a  hundred  fine  bouquets  — 

Canst  make  them,  John,  for  me?" 

John's  eyes  became  exceeding  round, 
This  question  when  he  heard  ; 

He  gazed  upon  his  master, 
And  he  answered  not  a  word. 

"  Well,  John,"  the  rich  man  laughing  said, 
' ' l . '  "If  these  too  many  be, 

What  sayest  to  half  the  number,  man  ? 
Canst  fifty  make  for  me  ?  " 

Now  John  prized  every  flower,  as  'twere 

A  daughter  or  a  son  ; 
And  thought,  like  Began  —  "  what  the  need 

Of  fifty,  or  of  one?" 
But  keeping  back  the  thought,  he  said, 

"  I  think,  sir,  that  I  might  ; 
But  it  would  leave  my  lady's  flowers 

In  very  ragged  plight." 

"  Well,  John,  thy  vegetable  pets 

Must  needs  respected  be  ; 
We'll  halve  the  number  once  again  — 

Make  twenty-five  for  me. 
And  hark  ye,  John,  when  they  are  made 

Come  up  and  let  me  know  ; 
And  I'll  give  thee  a  list  of  those 

To  whom  the  flowers  must  go." 

The  twenty-five  bouquets  were  made, 

And  round  the  village  sent  ; 
And  to  whom  thinkest  thou,  my  friend, 

These  floral  jewels  went? 
Not  to  the  beautiful  and  proud  — 

Not  to  the  rich  and  gay  — 
Who,  Dives-like,  at  Luxury's  feast 

Are  seated  every  day. 

An  aged  Pastor,  on  his  desk 
Saw  those  fair  preachers  stand; 

A  Widow  wept  upon  the  gift, 
And  blessed  the  giver's  hand. 

Where  Poverty  bent  o'er  her  task, 
They  cheered  the  lonely  room; 

And  round  the  bed  where  Sickness  lay, 

.  They  breathed  Health's  fresh  perfume. 


WORK  AND  PLAY.  385 

Oh !  kindly  heart  and  open  hand  — 

Those  flowers  in  dust  are  trod, 
But  they  bloom  to  weave  a  wreath  for  thee, 

In  the  Paradise  of  God. 
Sweet  is  the  Minstrel's  task,  whose  song 

Of  deeds  like  these  may  tell ; 
And  long  may  he  have  power  to  give, 

Who  wields  that  power  so  well! 

MKS.  ANNA  BACHE. 
PHILADELPHIA. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  JEROME  CLOCK  COMPANY  ENTANGLEMENT. 

TOE  EAST  BRIDGEPORT  ENTERPRISE  —  W.  H.  NOBLE  —  PLANS  FOR  A  NEW  CITY 
—  DR.  TIMOTHY  DWIGHT's  TESTIMONY — INVESTING  A  FORTUNE  —  SELLING 
CITY  LOTS  —  MONEY  MAKING  A  SECONDARY  CONSIDERATION  —  CLOCK  COM 
PANY  IN  LITCHFIELD  —  THE  "TERRY  AND  BABNUM  MANUFACTURING  COM 
PANY  "7- THE  JEROME  CLOCK  COMPANY  —  BAITING  FOR  BITES  —  FALSE  REP 
RESENTATIONS  —  HOW  I  WAS  DELUDED  —  WHAT  I  AGREED  TO  DO  —  THE  COUN 
TER  AGREEMENT —  NOTES  WITH  BLANK  DATES  — THE  LIMIT  OF  MY  RESPON 
SIBILITY —  HOW  IT  WAS  EXCEEDED  —  STARTLING  DISCOVERIES  —  A  RUINED 
MAN  — PAYING  MY  OWN  HONEST  DEBTS  —  BARNUM  DUPED  —  MY  FAILURE  — 
— THE  BARNUM  AND  JEROME  CLOCK  BUBBLE  —  MORALISTS  MAKING  USE  OF 
MY  MISFORTUNES  —  WHAT  PREACHERS,  PAPERS,  AND  PEOPLE  SAID  ABOUT 
ME — DOWN  IN  THE  DEPTHS. 

I  NOW  come  to  a  series  of  events  which,  all  things 
considered,  constitute  one  of  the  most  remarkable  expe 
riences  of  my  life  —  an  experience  which  brought  me 
much  pain  and  many  trials ;  which  humbled  my  pride 
and  threatened  me  with  hopeless  financial  ruin ;  and  yet, 
nevertheless,  put  new  blood  in  my  veins,  fresh  vigor 
in  my  action,  warding  off  all  temptation  to  rust  in  the 
repose  which  affluence  induces,  and  developed,  I  trust, 
new  and  better  elements  of  manliness  in  my  character. 
This  trial  carried  me  through  a  severe  and  costly  disci 
pline,  and  now  that  I  have  passed  through  it  and 
have  triumphed  over  it,  I  can  thank  God  for  sending 
it  upon  me,  though  I  feel  no  special  obligations  to  the 
human  instruments  employed  in  the  severe  chasten 
ing. 


CLOCK  COMPANY  ENTANGLEMENT.  387 

When  the  blow  fell  upon  me,  I  thought  that  I  could 
never  recover;  the  event  has  shown,  however,  that 
I  have  gained  both  in  character  and  fortune,  and  what 
threatened,  for  years,  to  be  my  ruin,  has  proved  one  of 
the  most  fortunate  happenings  of  my  career.  The 
"  Bull  Run  "  of  my  life's  battle  was  a  crushing  defeat, 
which,  unknown  to  me  at  the  time,  only  presaged  the 
victories  which  were  to  follow. 

In  my  general  plan  of  presenting  the  facts  and  inci 
dents  of  my  life  in  chronological  order,  I  shall  neces 
sarily  introduce  in  the  history  of  the  next  seven  years, 
an  account  of  my  entanglement  in  the  "  Jerome  Clock 
Company," — how  I  was  drawn  into  it,  how  I  got  out 
of  it,  and  what  it  did  to  me  and  for  me.  The  great 
notoriety  given  to  my  connection  with  this  concern  — 
the  fact  that  the  journals  throughout  the  country 
made  it  the  subject  of  news,  gossip,  sympathy,  abuse, 
and  advice  to  and  about  me,  my  friends,  my  persecut 
ors,  and  the  public  generally  —  seems  to  demand  that  the 
story  should  be  briefly  but  plainly  told.  The  event  itself 
has  passed  away  and  with  it  the  passions  and  excite 
ments  that  were  born  of  it ;  and  I  certainly  have  no 
desire  now  to  deal  in  personalities  or  to  go  into  the 
question  of  the  motives  which  influenced  those  wrho 
were  interested,  any  farther  than  may  be  strictly  essen 
tial  to  a  fair  and  candid  statement  of  the  case. 

It  is  vital  to  the  narrative  that  I  should  give  some 
account  of  the  new  city,  East  Bridgeport,  and  my  inter 
ests  therein,  which  led  directly  to  my  subsequent  com 
plications  with  the  Jerome  Clock  Company. 

In  1851,  I  purchased  from  Mr.  William  H.  Noble,  of 
Bridgeport,  the  undivided  half  of  his  late  father's  home 
stead,  consisting  of  fifty  acres  of  land;  lying  on  the  east 


388         CLOCK  COMPANY  ENTANGLEMENT. 

side  of  the  river,  opposite  the  City  of  Bridgeport.  We 
intended  this  as  the  nucleus  of  a  new  city,  which  we 
concluded  could  soon  be  built  up,  in  consequence  of 
many  natural  advantages  that  it  possesses. 

Before  giving  publicity  to  our  plans,  however,  we 
purchased  one  hundred  and  seventy-four  acres  contigu 
ous  to  that  which  we  already  owned,  and  laid  out  the 
entire  property  in  regular  streets,  and  lined  them  with 
trees,  reserving  a  beautiful  grove  of  six  or  eight  acres, 
which  we  inclosed,  and  converted  into  a  public  park. 
We  then  commenced  selling  alternate  lots,  at  the  same 
price  which  the  land  cost  us  by  the  acre.  Our  sales 
were  always  made  on  the  condition  that  a  suitable 
dwelling-house,  store,  or  manufactory  should  be  erected 
upon  the  land,  within  one  year  from  the  date  of  pur 
chase  ;  that  every  building  should  be  placed  at  a  cer 
tain  distance  from  the  street,  in  a  style  of  architecture 
approved  by  us ;  that  the  grounds  should  be  enclosed 
with  acceptable  fences,  and  kept  clean  and  neat,  with 
other  conditions  which  would  render  the  locality  a  desir 
able  one  for  respectable  residents,  and  operate  for  the 
mutual  benefit  of  all  persons  who  should  become  set 
tlers  in  the  new  city. 

This  entire  property  consists  of  a  beautiful  plateau  ot 
ground,  lying  within  less  than  half  a  mile  of  the  centre 
of  Bridgeport  city.  Considering  the  superiority  of  the 
situation,  it  is  a  wonder  that  the  City  of  Bridgeport  was 
not  originally  founded  upon  that  side  of  the  river.  The 
late  Dr.  Timothy  D  wight,  for  a  long  time  President  of 
Yale  College,  in  his  "  Travels  in  New  England  in  1815," 
says  of  the  locality : 

"  There  is  not  in  the  State  a  prettier  village  than  the 
borough  of  Bridgeport.  In  the  year  1783,  there  were 


CLOCK  COMPANY  ENTANGLEMENT.  389 


rir>  n?        /'ri^< 

scarcely  half  a  dozen  houses  in  this  place.     It  now  con 

tains  probably  more  than  one  hundred,  built  on  both 
sides  of  Pughquonnuck  (Pequonnock)  river,  a  beautiful 
mill-stream,  forming  at  its  mouth  the  harbor  of  Bridge 
port.  The  situation  of  this  village  is  very  handsome, 
particularly  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  river.  A  more 
cheerful  and  elegant  piece  of  ground  can  scarcely  be 
imagined  than  the  point  which  stretches  between  the 
Pughquonnuck  and  the  old  mill-brook  ;  and  the  pros 
pects  presented  by  the  harbors  at  the  mouths  of  these 
streams,  the  Sound,  and  the  surrounding  country,  are, 
in  a  fine  season,  gay  and  brilliant,  perhaps  without  a 
parallel." 

'I    00'}.A-"'>.       <•)>>••;,  f.iii    "l 

This  "  cheerful  and  elegant  piece  of  ground,"  as  Dr. 
Dwight  so  truly  describes  it,  had  only  been  kept  from 
market  by  the  want  of  means  of  access.  A  new  foot 
bridge  was  built,  connecting  this  place  with  the  City  of 
Bridgeport,  and  a  public  toll-bridge  which  belonged  to 
us  was  thrown  open  to  the  public  free.  We  also 
obtained  from  the  State  Legislature  a  charter  for  erect 
ing  a  toll-bridge  between  the  two  bridges  already  exist 
ing,  and  under  that  charter  we  put  up  a  fine  covered 
draw-  bridge  at  a  cost  of  $16,000  which  also  we  made 
free  to  the  public  for  several  years.  We  built  and 
leased  to  a  union  company  of  young  coach  makers  a 
large  and  elegant  coach  manufactory,  which  was  one  of 
the  first  buildings  erected  there,  and  which  went  into 
operation  on  the  first  of  January,  1852,  and  was  the 
beginning  of  the  extensive  manufactories  which  were 

1  1  1  •!         •  -r-i 

subsequently  built  m  East  Bridgeport. 

Besides  the  inducement  which  we  held  out  to  pur 
chasers  to  obtain  their  lots  at  a  merely  nominal  price, 
we  advanced  one  half,  two-thirds,  and  frequently  all 

18* 


390  CLOCK  COMPANY  ENTANGLEMENT. 

the  funds  necessary  to  erect  their  buildings,  permitting 
them  to  repay  us  in  sums  as  small  as  five  dollars,  at 
their  own  convenience.  This  arrangement  enabled 
many  persons  to  secure  and  ultimately  pay  for  homes 
which  they  could  not  otherwise  have  obtained.  We 
looked  for  our  profits  solely  to  the  rise  in  the  value  of 
the  reserved  lots,  which  we  were  confident  must  ensue. 
Of  course,  these  extraordinary  inducements  led  many 
persons  to  build  in  the  new  city,  and  it  began  to  develop 
and  increase  with  a  rapidity  rarely  witnessed  in  this 
section  of  the  country.  Indeed,  our  speculation,  which 
might  be  termed  a  profitable  philanthropy)  soon 
promised  to  be  so  remunerative,  that  I  offered  Mr. 
Noble  for  his  interest  in  the  estate,  $60,000  more  than 
the  prime  cost,  which  offer  he  declined. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that,  in  1851,  my  pet  scheme 
was  to  build  up  a  city  in  East  Bridgeport.  I  had 
made  a  large  fortune  and  was  anxious  to  be  released 
from  the  harassing  cares  of  active  business.  But  I  could 
not  be  idle,  and  if  I  could  be  instrumental  in  giving 
value  to  land  comparatively  worthless ;  if  I  could  by 
the  judicious  investment  of  a  portion  of  my  capital  open 
the  way  for  new  industries  and  new  homes,  I  should  be 
of  service  to  my  fellow  men  and  find  grateful  employ 
ment  for  my  energies  and  time.  I  saw  that  in  case  of 
success  there  was  profit  in  my  project,  and  I  was 
enough  like  mankind  in  general  to  look  upon  the 
enlargement  of  my  means  as  a  consummation  devoutly 
and  legitimately  to  be  wished. 

Yet,  I  can  truly  say  that  mere  money-making  was 
a  secondary  consideration  in  my  scheme.  I  wanted 
to  build  a  city  on  the  beautiful  plateau  across  the  river ; 
in  the  expressive  phrase  of  the  day,  I  "  had  East 

.Of/)   jTfrff  '>ff  »   WWPV 


CLOCK. COMPANY  ENTANGLEMENT.  391 

Bridgeport  on  the  brain."  Whoever  approached  me 
with  a  project  which  looked  to  the  advancement  of  my 
new  city,  touched  my  weak  side  and  found  me  an  eager 
listener.  The  serpent  that  beguiled  me  was  any  plaus 
ible  proposition  that  promised  prosperity  to  East 
Bridgeport,  and  it  was  in  this  way  that  the  coming  city 
connected  me  with  that  source  of  so  many  annoyances 
and  woes,  the  Jerome  Clock  Company. 

There  was  a  small  clock  manufactory  in  the  town  of 
Litehfield,  Connecticut,  in  which  I  became  a  stock 
holder  to  the  amount  of  six  or  seven  thousand  dollars, 
and  my  duties  as  a  director  in  the  company  called  me 
occasionally  to  Litchfield  and  made  me  somewhat 
acquainted  with  the  clock  business.  Thinking  of  plans 
to  forward  my  pet  East  Bridgeport  enterprise,  it 
occurred  to  me  that  if  the  Litchfield  clock  concern 
could  be  transferred  to  my  prospective  new  city,  it 
would  necessarily  bring  many  families,  thus  increasing 
the  growth  of  the  place  and  the  value  of  the  property. 
Negotiations  were  at  once  commenced  and  the  desired 
transfer  of  the  business  was  the  result.  A  new  stock 
company  was  formed  under  the  name  of  the  "  Terry  & 
Barnum  Manufacturing  Company, "  and  in  1852  a 
factory  was  built  in  East  Bridgeport. 

In  1855,  I  received  a  suggestion  from  a  citizen  of 
New  Haven,  that  the  Jerome  Clock  Company,  then  repu 
ted  to  be  a  wealthy  concern,  should  be  removed  to  East 
Bridgeport,  and  shortly  afterwards  I  was  visited  f.t  Iran- 
istan  by  Mr.  Chauncey  Jerome,  the  President  of  that 
company.  The  result  of  this  visit  was  a  proposition 
from  the  agent  of  the  company,  who  also  held  power  of 
attorney  for  the  president,  that  I  should  lend  my  name 
as  security  for  $110,000  in  aid  of  the  Jerome  Clock 


392  CLOCK  COMPANY  ENTANGLEMENT. 

Company,  and  the  proffered  compensation  was  the 
transfer  of  this  great  manufacturing  concern,  with  its 
seven  hundred  to  one  thousand  operatives,  to  my  beloved 
East  Bridgeport.  It  was  just  the  bait  for  the  fish  ;  1 
was  all  attention ;  yet  I  must  do  my  judgment  the  jus 
tice  to  say  that  I  called  for  proofs,  strong  and  ample, 
that  the  great  company  deserved  its  reputation  as  a 
substantial  enterprise  that  might  safely  be  trusted. 

Accordingly,  I  was  shown  an  official  report  of  the 
directors  of  the  company,  exhibiting  a  capital  of  $400,- 
000,  and  a  surplus  of  $187,000,  in  all,  $587,000.  The 
need  for  $110,000  more,  was  on  account  of  a  dull  sea 
son,  and  the  market  glutted  with  the  goods,  and  imme 
diate  money  demands  which  must  be  met.  I  was  also 
impressed  with  the  pathetic  tale  that  the  company  was 
exceedingly  loth  to  dismiss  any  of  the  operatives,  who 
would  suffer  greatly  if  their  only  dependence  for  their 
daily  food  was  taken  away. 

The  official  statement  seemed  satisfactory,  and  I  cor 
dially  sympathized  with  the  philanthropic  purpose  of 
keeping  the  workmen  employed,  even  in  the  dull  season. 
The  company  was  reputed  to  be  rich ;  the  President, 
Mr.  Chauncey  Jerome,  had  built  a  church  in  New 
Haven,  at  a  cost  of  $40,000,  and  proposed  to  present  it 
to  a  congregation  ;  he  had  given  a  clock  to  a  church  in 
Bridgeport,  and  these  things  showed  that  he,  at  le*^t, 
thought  he  was  wealthy.  The  Jerome .  clocks  were  for 
sale  all  over  the  world,  even  in  China,  where  the  Celes 
tials  were  said  to  take  out  the  "  movements,"  and  use 
the  cases  for  little  temples  for  their  idols,  thus  proving 
that  faith  was  possible  without  "  works."  So  wealthy 
and  so  widely-known  a  company  would  surely  be  a 
grand  acquisition  to  my  city. 


CLOCK  COMPANY  ENTANGLEMENT.        393 

Further  testimony  came  in  the  form  of  a  letter  from 
the  cashier  of  one  of  the  New  Haven  banks,  express 
ing  the  highest  confidence  in  the  financial  strength  of 
the  concern,  and  much  satisfaction  that  I  contemplated 
giving  temporary  aid  which  would  keep  so  many  work 
men  and  their  families  from  suffering,  and  perhaps  star 
vation.  I  had  not,  at  the  time,  the  slightest  suspicion 
that  my  voluntary  correspondent  had  any  interest  in  the 
transfer  of  the  Jerome  Company  from  New  Haven  to 
East  Bridgeport,  though  I  was  subsequently  informed 
that  the  bank,  of  which  my  correspondent  was  the 
cashier,  was  almost  the  largest,  if  not  the  largest,  creditor 
of  the  clock  company. 

Under  all  the  circumstances,  and  influenced  by  the 
rose-colored  representations  made  to  me,  not  less  than 
by  my  mania  to  push  the  growth  of  my  new  city,  I 
finally  accepted  the  proposition  and  consented  to 
an  agreement  that  I  would  lend  the  clock  company 
my  notes  for  a  sum  not  to  exceed  $50,000,  and  accept 
drafts  to  an  amount  not  to  exceed  $60,000.  It  was 
thoroughly  understood  that  I  was  in  no  case  to  be 
responsible  for  one  cent  in  excess  of  $110,000.  I  also 
received  the  written  guaranty  of  Chauncey  Jerome  that 
in  no  event  should  I  lose  by  the  loan,  as  he  would 
become  personally  responsible  for  the  repayment.  I 
was  willing  that  my  notes,  when  taken  up,  should 
be  renewed,  I  cared  not  how  often,  provided  the  stipu 
lated  maximum  of  $110,000  should  never  be  exceeded. 
I  was  weak  enough,  however,  under  the  representation 
that  it  was  impossible  to  say  exactly  when  it  would 
be  necessary  to  use  the  notes>  to  put  my  name  to 
several  notes  for  $3,000,  $5,000,  and  $10,000,  leaving 
the  date  of  payment  blank ;  but  it  was  agreed  that  the 


394  CLOCK  COMPANY  ENTANGLEMENT, 

blanks  should  be  filled  to  make  the  notes  payable  in 
five,  ten,  or  even  sixty  days  from  date,  according  to  the 
exigencies  of  the  case,  and  I  was  careful  to  keep  a 
memorandum  of  the  several  amounts  of  the  notes. 

On  the  other  side  it  was  agreed  that  the  Jerome 
Company  should  exchange  its  stock  with  the  Terry  & 
Barnum  stockholders  and  thus  absorb  that  company 
and  unite  the  entire  business  in  East  Bridgeport.  It 
was  scarcely  a  month  before  the  secretary  wrote  me 
that  the  company  would  soon  be  in  condition  to  "  snap 
its  fingers  at  the  banks." 

Nevertheless,  three  months  after  the  consolidation  of 
the  companies,  a  reference  to  my  memoranda  showed 
that  I  had  already  become  responsible  for  the  stipulated 
sum  of  $110,000.  I  was  then  called  upon  in  New 
5fork  by  the  agent  who  wanted  five  notes  of  $5,000 
each  and  I  declined  to  furnish  them,  unless  1  should 
receive  in  return  an  equal  amount  in  my  own  cancelled 
notes,  since  he  assured  me  they  were  cancelling  these 
"  every  week."  The  cancelled  notes  were  brought  to  me 
next  day  and  I  renewed  them.  This  I  did  frequently, 
always  receiving  cancelled  notes,  till  finally  my  confi 
dence  in  the  company  became  so  established  that  I  did 
not  ask  to  see  the  notes  that  had  been  taken  up,  but  fur 
nished  new  accommodation  paper  as  it  was  called  for. 

By  and  by  I  heard  that  the  banks  began  to  hesitate 
about  discounting  my  paper,  and  knowing  that  I  was  good 
for  $110,000  several  times  over,  I  wondered  what  was  the 
matter,  till  the  discovery  came  at  last  that  my  notes  had 
not  been  taken  up  as  was  represented,  and  that  some  of 
the  blank  date  notes  had  been  made  payable  in  twelve, 
eighteen,  and  twenty-four  months.  Further  investiga 
tion  revealed  the  frightful  fact  that  I  had  endorsed  for 


CLOCK  COMPANY  ENTANGLEMENT.         395 

the  clock  company  to  the  extent  of  more  than  half 
a  million  dollars,  and  most  of  the  notes  had  been 
exchanged  for  old  Jerome  Company  notes  due  to  the 
banks  and  other  creditors.  My  agent  who  made  these 
startling  discoveries  came  back  to  me  with  the  refresh 
ing  intelligence  that  I  was  a  ruined  man ! 

Not  quite ;  I  had  the  mountain  of  Jerome  debts  on 
my  back,  but  I  found  means  to  pay  every  clain;  against 
me  at  my  bank,  all  my  store  and  shop  debts,  notes  to 
the  amount  of  $40,000,  which  banks  in  my  neighbor 
hood,  relying  upon  my  personal  integrity,  had  discounted 
for  the  Clock  Company,  and  then  I.  —  failed  ! 

What  a  dupe  had  I  been  !  Here  was  a  great  co  apany 
pretending  to  be  worth  $587,000,  asking  temporary 
assistance  to  the  amount  of  $110,000,  coming  down 
with  a  crash,  so  soon  as  my  helping  hand  was  removed, 
and  sweeping  me  down  with  it.  It  failed ;  and  even 
after  absorbing  my  fortune,  it  paid  but  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  per  cent  of  its  obligations,  while,  to  cap  the 
climax,  it  never  removed  to  East  Bridgeport  at  all, 
notwithstanding  this  was  the  only  condition  which  ever 
prompted  me  to  advance  one  dollar  to  the  rotten 
concern ! 

If  at  any  time  my  vanity  had  been  chilled  by  the  fear 
that  after  my  retirement  from  the  Jenny  Lind  enterprise 
the  world  would  forget  me,  this  affair  speedily  reassured 
me  ;  I  had  notice  enough  to  satisfy  the  most  inordinate 
craving  for  notoriety.  All  over  the  country,  and  even 
across  the  ocean,  "  Barnum  and  the  Jerome  Clock 
Bubble  "  was  the  great  newspaper  theme.  I  was  taken 
to  pieces^  analyzed,  put  together  again,  kicked, 
"  pitched  into,"  tumbled  about,  preached  to,  preached 
about,  and  made  to  serve  every  purpose  to  which  a 


896  CLOCK  COMPANY  ENTAHGLEMENT. 

sensation-loving  world  could  put  me.  Well!  I  was 
now  in  training,  in  a  new  school,  and  was  learning 
new  and  strange  lessons. 

Yet,  these  new  lessons  conveyed  the  old,  old  story. 
There  were  those  who  had  fawned  upon  me  in  my  pros 
perity,  who  now  jeered  at  my  adversity ;  people  whom 
I  had  specially  favored,  made  special  efforts  to  show 
their  ingratitude  ;  papers  which,  when  I  had  the  means 
to  make  it  an  object  for  them  to  be  on  good  terms  with 
me,  overloaded  me  with  adulation,  now  attempted  to 
overwhelm  me  with  abuse ;  and  then  the  immense 
amourt  of  moralizing  over  the  "  instability  of  human 
fortunes,"  and  especially  the  retributive  justice  that  is 
sure  to  follow  "  ill-gotten  gains,"  which  my  censors 
assumed  to  be  the  sum  and  substance  of  my  honorably 
acquired  and  industriously  worked  for  property.  I  have 
no  doubt  that  much  of  this  kind  of  twaddle  was  believed 
'  >y  the  twaddlers  to  be  sincere ;  and  thus  my  case  was 
actual  capital  to  certain  preachers  and  religious  editors 
who  were  in  want  of  fresh  illustrations  wherewith  to 
point  their  morals. 

As  for  myself,  I  was  in  the  depths,  but  I  did  not  de 
spond.  I  was  confident  that  with  energetic  purpose  and 
divine  assistance  I  should,  if  my  health  and  life  were 
spared,  get  on  my  feet  again ;  and  events  have  since- 
fully  justified  and  verified  the  expectation  and  the  effort. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

CLOUDS  AND  SUNSHINE. 

FRIENDS  TO  THE  RESCUE — MONEY  OFFERS  REFUSED  —  BENEFITS  DECLINED  — 
MAGNIFICENT  OFFER  OF  PROMINENT  NEW  YORK  CITIZENS — WILLIAM  E. 
BURTON — LAURA  KEENE  —  WILLIAM  NIBLO  —  GENERAL  TOM  THUMB — EDI 
TORIAL  SYMPATHY— "A  WORD  FOR  BARNUM "  IN  BOSTON  — LETTER  FROM 

"MRS.  PARTINGTON" — CITIZENS'  MEETING  IN  BRIDGEPORT  —  RESOLUTIONS 
OF  RESPECT  AND  CONDOLENCE  —  MY  LETTER  ON  THE  SITUATION  —  TENDER 
OF  FIFTY  THOUSAND  DOLLARS  —  MAGNITUDE  OF  THE  DECEPTION  PRAC 
TISED  UPON  ME  —  PROPOSITION  OF  COMPROMISE  WITH  MY  CREDITORS  —  A 
TRAP  LAID  FOR  ME  IN  PHILADELPHIA  —  THE  SILVER  LINING  TO  THE 
CLOUD  —  THE  BLOW  A  BENEFIT  TO  MY  FAMILY  —  THE  REY.  DR.  E.  H. 

CHAPIN  — MY  DAUGHTER  HELEN  — A  LETTER  WORTH  TEN  THOUSAND  DOL 
LARS —  OUR  NEW  HOME  IN  NEW  YORK. 

HAPPILY,  there  is  always  more  wheat  than  there  is 
chaff.  While  my  enemies  and  a  few  envious  persons 
and  misguided  moralists  were  abusing  and  traducirfg  me, 
my  very  misfortunes  revealed  to  me  hosts  of  hitherto 
unknown  friends  who  tendered  to  me  something  more 
than  mere  sympathy.  Funds  were  offered  to  me  in 
unbounded  quantity  for  the  support  of  my  family  and  to 
re-establish  me  in  business.  I  declined  these  tenders 
because,  on  principle,  I  never  accepted  a  money  favor, 
unless  I  except  the  single  receipt  of  a  small  sum  which 
came  to  me  by  mail  at  this  time  and  anonymously  so 
that  I  could  not  return  it.  Even  this  small  sum  I  at 
once  devoted  to  charity  towards  one  who  needed  the 
money  far  more  than  I  did. 

The  generosity  of  my  friends  urged  me  to  accept 
"  benefits "  by  the  score,  the  returns  of  which  would 


398  CLOUDS  AND  SUNSHINE. 

have  made  me  quite  independent.  There  was  a  pro 
position  among  leading  citizens  in  New  York  to  give  a 
series  of  benefits  which  I  felt  obliged  to  decline  though 
the  movement  in  my  favor  deeply  touched  me.  To 
show  the  class  of  men  who  sympathized  with  me  in  my 
misfortunes  and  also  the  ground  which  I  took  in  the 
matter  I  venture  to  copy  the  following  correspondence 
which  appeared  in  the  New  York  papers  of  the  day  : 

NEW  YORK,  June  2, 1856. 
MB.  P.  T.  BARNUM  : 

Dear  Sir, — The  financial  ruin  of  a  man  of  acknowledged  energy  and  enterprise 
is  a  public  calamity.  The  sudden  blow,  therefore,  that  has  swept  away,  from  a 
man  like  yourself,  the  accumulated  wealth  of  years,  justifies  we  think,  the  public 
sympathy.  The  better  to  manifest  our  sincere  respect  for  your  liberal  example 
in  prosperity,  as  well  as  exhibit  our  honest  admiration  of  your  fortitude  under 
overwhelming  reverses,  we  propose  to  give  that  sympathy  a  tangible  expression 
by  soliciting  your  acceptance  of  a  series  of  benefits  for  your  family,  the  result 
•f  which  may  possibly  secure  for  your  wife  and  children  a  future  home,  or  at 
least  rescue  them  from  the  more  immediate  consequences  of  your  misfortune. 

Freeman  Hunt,  E.  K.  Collins,  Isaac  V.  Fowler,  James  Phalen,  Cornelius 
Vanderbilt,  F.  B.  Cuting,  James  W.  Gerard,  Simeon  Draper,  Thomas  McElrath, 
Park  Godwin,  R  F.  Carman,  Gen.  C.  W.  Sanford,  Philo  Hurd,  President  H. 
B.  B. ;  Win.  Ellsworth,  President  Brooklyn  Ins.  Co. ;  George  S.  Doughty,  Pres 
ident  Excelsior  Ins.  Co. ;  Chas.  T.  Cromwell,  Bobert  Stuyvesant,  E.  L.  Livingston, 
B.  Busteed,  Wm.  P.  Fettridge,  E.  N.  Haughwout,  Geo.  F.  Nesbitt,  Osborne, 
Boardman  &  Townsend,  Charles  H.  Delavan,  I.  &  C.  Berrien,  Fisher  &  Bird, 
Solomon  &  Hart,  B.  Young,  M.  D.,  Tread  well,  Acker  &  Co.,  St.  Nicholas  Hotel, 
John  Wheeler,  Union  Square  Hotel,  S.  Lcland  &  Co.,  Metropolitan  Hotel, 
Albert  Clark,  Brevoort  House,  H.  D.  Clapp,  Everett  House,  John  Taylor,  Inter 
national  Hotel,  Sydney  Hopmaii,  Smithsonian  Hotel,  Messrs.  Delmonico, 
Delmonico's,  Geo.  W.  Sherman,  Florence's  Hotel,  Kingsley  &  Ainslee,  Howard 
Hotel,  Libby  &  Whitney,  Lovejoy's  Hotel,  Howard  &  Brown,  Tammany  Hall, 
Jonas  Bartlett,  Washington  Hotel,  Patten  &  Lynde,  Pacific  Hotel,  J.  Johnson, 
Johnson's  Hotel,  and  over  1,000  others. 

To  this  gratifying  communication  I  replied  as  follows  : 

LONG  ISLAND,  Tuesday,  June  3, 1850. 

GENTLEMEN,  —  I  can  hardly  find  words  to  express  my  gratitude  for  your  very 
kind  proposition.  The  popular  sympathy  is  to  me  far  more  precious  than  gold, 
and  that  sympathy  seems  in  my  case  to  extend  from  my  immediate  neighbors,  in 
Bridgeport,  to  all  parts  of  our  Union. 

Proffers  of  pecuniary  assistance  have  reached  me  from  every  quarter,  not  only 
from  friends,  but  from  entire  strangers.  Mr.  Wm.  E.  Burton,  Miss  Laura  Keene 
and  Mr.  Wm.  Niblo  have  in  the  kindest  manner  tendered  me  the  receipts  of  their 


CLOUDS  AND  SUNSHINE.  399 

theatres  for  one  evening.  Mr.  Gough  volunteered  the  proceeds  of  one  of  his  at 
tractive  lectures;  Mr.  James  Phalon  generously  offered  me  the  free  use  of  the  Acad 
emy  of  Music ;  many  professional  ladies  and  gentlemen  have  urged  me  to  accept 
their  gratuitous  services.  I  have,  on  principle,  respectfully  declined  them  all,  as 
I  beg,  with  the  most  grateful  acknowledgments  (at  least  for  the  present),  to  decline 
yours  —  not  because  a  benefit,  in  itself,  is  an  objectionable  thing,  but  because  I 
have  ever  made  it  a  point  to  ask  nothing  of  the  public  on  personal  grounds,  and 
should  prefer,  while  I  can  possibly  avoid  that  contingency,  to  accept  nothing 
from  it  without  the  honest  conviction  that  I  had  individually  given  it  in  return  a 
full  equivalent. 

While  favored  with  health,  I  feel  competent  to  earn  an  honest  livelihood  for 
myself  and  family.  More  than  this  I  shall  certainly  never  attempt  with  such  a 
load  of  debt  suspended  in  terrorem  over  me.  "While  I  earnestly,  thank  you,  there 
fore,  for  your  generous  consideration,  gentlemen,  I  trust  you  will  appreciate  my 
desire  to  live  unhumiliated  by  a  sense  of  dependence-,  and  believe  me,  sincerely 
yours,  P.  T.  BARNUM. 

To  Messrs.  FJREEMAN  HUNT,  E.   K.   COLLINS,   and  others. 

And  with  other  offers  of  assistance  from  far  and 
near,  came  the  following  from  a  little  gentleman  who 
did  not  forget  his  old  friend  and  benefactor  in  the  time 
of  trial: 

JONES'  HOTEL,  PHILADELPHIA,  May  12,  185G. 

MY  DEAK  Mn.  BARNUM, — I  understand  your  friends,  and  that  means  "all 
creation,"  intend  to  get  up  some  benefits  for  your  family.  Now,  my  dear  sir,  just  be 
good  enough  to  remember  that  I  belong  to  that  mighty  crowd,  and  I  must  have  a 
finger  (or  at  least  a  "  thumb  ")  in  that  pie.  I  am  bound  to  appear  on  all  such  occa- 
casions  in  some  shape,  from  "  Jack  the  Giant  Killer,"  up  stairs,  to  the  doorkeeper 
down, whichever  may  serve  you  best;  and  there  are  some  feats  that  I  can  perform 
as  well  as  any  other  man  of  my  inches.  I  have  just  started  out  on  my  western 
tour,  and  have  my  carriage,  ponies  and  assistants  all  here,  but  I  am  ready  to  go 
on  to  New  York,  bag  and  baggage,  and  remain  at  Mrs.  Barnum's  service  as  long 
as  I,  in  my  small  way,  can  be  useful.  Put  me  into  any  "heavy"  work, if  you 
like.  Perhaps  I  cannot  lift  as  much  as  some  other  folks,  but  just  take  your  pencil 
in  hand  and  you  will  see  I  can  draw  a  tremendous  load.  I  drew  two  hundred  tons 
at  a  single  pull  to-day,  embracing  two  thousand  persons,  whom  I  hauled  up 
safely  and  satisfactorily  to  all  parties,  at  one  exhibition.  Hoping  that  you  will  be 
able  to  fix  up  a  lot  of  magnets  tliat  will  attract  all  New  York,  and  volunteering 
to  sit  on  any  part  of  the  loadstone,  I  am,  as  ever,  your  little  but  sympathizing 
friend,  GEN.  TOM  THUMB. 

Even  this  generous  offer  from  my  little  friend  I  felt 
compelled  to  refuse.  But  kind  words  were  written  and 
spoken  which  I  could  not  prevent,  nor  did  I  desire  to  do 
so,  and  which  were  worth  more  to  me  than  money.  I 
should  fail  to  find  space,  if  I  wished  it,  to  copy  one- 


100  CLOUDS  AND  SUNSHINE. 

tenth  part  of  the  cordial  and  kind  articles  and  para 
graphs  that  appeared  about  me  in  newspapers  through 
out  the  country.  The  following  sentence  from  an 
editorial  article  in  a  prominent  New  York  journal  was 
the  key-note  to  many  similar  kind  notices  in  all  parts  of 
the  Union  :  "  It  is  a  fact  beyond  dispute  that  Mr.  Bar- 
num's  financial  difficulties  have  accumulated  from  the 
goodness  of  his  nature ;  kind-hearted  and  generous  to  a 
fault,  it  has  ever  been  his  custom  to  lend  a  helping  hand 
to  the  struggling ;  and  honest  industry  and  enterprise 
have  found  his  friendship  prompt  and  faithful."  The 
Boston  Journal  dwelt  especially  upon  the  use  I  had 
made  of  my  money  in  my  days  of  prosperity  in  assisting 
deserving  laboring  men  and  in  giving  an  impulse  to 
Business  in  the  town  where  I  resided.  It  seems  only 
just  that  I  should  make  this  very  brief  allusion  to  these 
things,  if  only  as  an  offset  to  the  unbounded  abuse  of 
those  who  believed  in  kicking  me  merely  because  I  was 
down ;  nor  can  I  refrain  from  copying  the  following 
from  th<?  Boston  Saturday  Evening  Gazette,  of  May  3, 
1856: 

BABNUM   EEDIVIVUS. 

A  WORD  FOB  BARNUM. 

BARNUM,  your  hand  !    Though  you  arc  "  down," 

And  see  full  many  a  frigid  shoulder, 
Be  brave,  my  brick,  and  though  they  frown, 

Prove  that  misfortune  makes  you  bolder. 
There's  many  a  man  that  sneers,  my  hero, 

And  former  praise  converts  to  scorning, 
Would  worship  —  when  he  fears  —  a  Nero, 

And  bend  "  where  thrift  may  follow  fawning." 

y/ou  humbugged  us — that  we  have  seen, 

We  got  our  money's  worth,  old  fellow, 
And  though  you  thought  our  minds  were  green, 

We  never  thought  your  heart  was  yelloio. 
We  knew  you  liberal,  generous,  warm, 

Quick  to  assist  a  falling  brother, 
And,  with  such  virtues,  what's  the  harm 

All  memories  of  your  faults  to  smother? 


CLOUDS  AND  SUNSHINE.  401 

"We  had  not  heard  the  peerless  Lind, 

But  for  your  spirit  enterprising, 
You  were  the  man  to  raise  the  wind, 

And  make  a  coup  confessed  surprising. 
You're  reckoned  in  your  native  town 

A  friend  in  need,  a  friend  in  danger, 
You  ever  keep  the  latchstring  down, 

And  greet  with  open  hand  the  stranger. 

Stiffen  your  upper  lip.    You  know 

Who  are  your  friends  and  who  your  foes  now; 
We  pay  for  knowledge  as  we  go ; 

And  though  you  get  some  sturdy  blows  now, 
You've  a  fair  field,  —  no  favors  crave,  — 

The  storm  once  passed  will  find  you  braver,  -— 
In  virtue's  cause  long  may  you  wave, 

And  on  the  right  side,  never  waver. 

Desirous  of  knowing  who  was  the  author  of  this 
kindly  effusion,  I  wrote,  while  preparing  this  autobiog 
raphy,  to  Mr.  B.  P.  Shillaber,  one  of  the  editors  of  the 
journal,  and  well  known  to  the  public  as  "Mrs.  Parting- 
ton."  In  reply,  I  received  the  following  letter  in  which 
it  will  be  seen  that  he  makes  sympathetic  allusion  to 
the  burning  of  my  last  Museum,  only  a  few  weeks 
before  the  date  of  his  letter : 

CHELSEA,  April  25,  1868. 

MY  DEAR  MR.  BARNUM: — The  poem  in  question  was  written  by  A.  Wallace 
Thaxter,  associate  editor  with  Mr.  Clapp  and  myself,  on  the  Gazette  —  since 
deceased,  a  glorious  fellow  —  who  Avrote  the  poem  from  a  sincere  feeling  of  admi 
ration  for  yourself.  Mr.  Clapp,  (Hon.  W.  W.  Clapp,)  published  it  with  his  full 
approbation.  I  heard  of  your  new  trouble,  in  my  sick  chamber,  where  I  have 
been  all  winter,  with  regret,  and  wish  you  as  ready  a  release  from  attending  diffi 
culty  as  your  genius  has  hitherto  achieved  under  like  circumstances. 
Yours,  very  truly, 

B.  P.  SHILLABER. 

But  the  manifestations  of  sympathy  which  came  to 
me  from  Bridgeport,  where  my  home  had  been  for  more 
than  ten  years,  were  the  most  gratifying  of  all,  because 
they  showed  unmistakably  that  my  best  friends,  those 
who  were  most  constant  in  their  friendship  and  most 
emphatic  in  their  esteem,  were  my  neighbors  and  asso- 


402  CLOUDS  AND  SUNSHINE. 

elates  who,  of  all  people,  knew  me  best.  With  such 
support  I  could  easily  endure  the  attacks  of  traducers 
elsewhere.  The  New  York  Times,  April  25,  1856, 
under  the  head  of  "  Sympathy  for  Barnum,"  published 
a  full  report  of  the  meeting  of  my  fellow-citizens  of 
Bridgeport,  the  previous  evening,  to  take  my  case  into 
consideration. 

In  response  to  a  call  headed  by  the  mayor  of  the  city, 
and  signed  by  several  hundred  citizens,  this  meeting  was 
held  in  Washington  Hall  "  for  the  purpose  of  sympa 
thizing  with  P.  T.  Barnum,  Esq.,  in  his  recent  pecuniary 
embarrassments,  and  of  giving  some  public  expression 
to  their  views  in  reference  to  his  financial  misfortunes." 
It  was  the  largest  public  meeting  which,  up  to  that  time, 
had  ever  been  held  in  Bridgeport.  Several  prominent 
citizens  made  addresses,  and  resolutions  were  adopted 
declaring  "  that  respect  and  sympathy  were  due  to  P.  T. 
Barnum  in  return  for  his  many  acts  of  liberality,  philan 
thropy  and  public  spirit,"  expressing  unshaken  confi 
dence  in  his  integrity,  admiration  for  the  "  fortitude  and 
composure  with  which  he  has  met  reverses  into  which 
he  has  been  dragged  through  no  fault  of  his  own  except 
a  too  generous  confidence  in  pretended  friends,"  and  hop 
ing  that  he  would  "  yet  return  to  that  wealth  which  he 
has  so  nobly  employed,  and  to  the  community  he  has  so 
signally  benefited."  During  the  evening  the  following 
letter  was  read : 

NEW  YORK,  Thursday,  April  24, 1&5G. 
WM.  H.  NOBLE,  Esq., 

Dear  Sir:—!  have  just  received  a  slip  containing  a  call  for  a  public  meeting  of 
she  citizens  of  Bridgeport  to  sympathize  with  me  in  my  troubles.  It  is  headed  by 
His  Honor  the  Mayor,  and  is  signed  by  most  of  your  prominent  citizens,  as  well  as 
by  many  men  who  by  hard  labor  earn  their  daily  bread,  and  who  appreciate  a  calam 
ity  which  at  a  single  blow  strips  a  man  of  his  fortune,  his  dear  home,  and  all  the 
worldly  comforts  which  years  of  diligent  labor  had  acquired.  It  is  due  to  truth 
to  say  that  I  knew  nothing  of  this  movement  until  your  letter  informed  me  of  it. 


CLOUDS  AND  SUNSHINE.  403 

In  misfortune  the  true  sympathy  of  neighbors  is  more  consoling  and  precious 
than  anything  which  money  can  purchase.  This  voluntary  offering  of  my  felloAV- 
citizens,  though  it  thrills  me  with  painful  emotions  and  causes  tears  of  gratitude, 
yet  imparts  to  me  renewed  strength  and  fills  my  heart  with  thankfulness  to  Prov 
idence  for  raising  up  to  my  sight,  above  all  this  wreck,  kind  hearts  which  soar 
above  the  sordid  atmosphere  of  "dirty  dollars."  I  can  never  forget  this  unex 
pected  kindness  from  my  old  friends  and  neighbors. 

I  trust  I  am  not  blind  to  my  many  faults  and  shortcomings.  I,  however,  do 
feel  great  consolation  in  believing  that  I  never  used  money  or  position  to  oppress 
the  poor  or  wrong  my  fellow-inen,  and  that  I  never  turned  empty  away  those 
whom  I  had  the  power  to  assist. 

My  poor  sick  wife,  who  needs  the  bracing  air  which  our  own  dear  home  (mad& 
beautiful  by  her  willing  hands)  would  now  have  afforded  her,  is  driven  by  the 
orders  of  her  physician  to  a  secluded  spot  on  Long  Island  where  the  sea-wind 
lends  its  healthful  influence,  and  where  I  have  also  retired  for  the  double  purpose 
of  consoling  her  and  of  recruiting  my  own  constitution,  which,  through  the  excite 
ments  of  the  last  few  months,  has  most  seriously  failed  me. 

In  our  quiet  and  humble  retreat,  that  which  I  most  sincerely  pray  for  is  tran 
quillity  and  contentment.  I  am  sure  that  the  remembrance  of  the  kindness  of 
my  Bridgeport  neighbors  will  aid  me  in  securing  these  cherished  blessings.  No 
man  who  has  not  passed  through  similar  scenes  can  fully  comprehend  the  misery 
which  has  been  crowded  into  the  last  few  months  of  my  life ;  but  I  have  endeavored 
to  preserve  my  integrity,  and  I  humbly  hope  and  believe  that  I  am  being  taught 
humility  and  reliance  upon  Providence,  which  will  yet  afford  a  thousand  times 
more  peace  and  true  happiness  than  can  be  acquired  in  the  din,  strife  and  turmoil, 
excitements  and  struggles  of  this  money- worshipping  age.  The  man  who  coins 
his  brain  and  blood  into  gold,  who  wastes  all  of  his  time  and  thought  upon  the 
almighty  dollar,  who  looks  no  higher  than  blocks  of  houses,  and  tracts  of  land, 
and  whose  iron  chest  is  crammed  with  stocks  and  mortgages  tied  up  with  his  own 
hea.rt=strings,  may  console  himself  with  the  idea  of  safe  investments,  but  he  misses 
a  pleasure  which  I  firmly  believe  this  lesson  was  intended  to  secure  to  me,  and 
which  it  will  secure  if  I  can  fully  bring  my  mind  to  realize  its  wisdom.  I 
think  I  hear  you  say  — 

"  When  the  devil  was  sick, 

The  devil  a  saint  would  be. 

But  when  the  devil  got  well, 

The  devil  a  saint  was  he." 

Granted,  but,  after  all,  the  man  who  looks  upon  the  loss  of  money  as  anything 
compared  to  the  loss  of  honor,  or  health,  or  self-respect,  or  friends, — a  man  who 
can  find  no  source  of  happiness  except  in  riches, — is  to  be  pitied  for  his  blindness. 
I  certainly  feel  that  the  loss  of  money,  of  home  and  my  home  comforts,  is  dread 
ful, — that  to  be  driven  again  to  find  a  resting-place  away  from  those  I  love,  and 
from  where  I  had  fondly  supposed  I  was  to  end  my  days,  and  where  I  had 
lavished  time,  money,  everything,  to  make  my  descent  to  the  grave  placid  and 
pleasant,— is,  indeed,  a  severe  lesson;  but,  after  all,  I  firmly  believe  it  is  for  the 
best,  and  though  my  heart  may  break,  I  will  not  repine. 

I  regret,  beyond  expression,  that  any  man  should  be  a  loser  for  having  trusted 
to  my  name;  it  would  not  have  been  so,  if  I  had  not  myself  been  deceived.  As 
it  is,  I  am  gratified  in  knowing  that  all  my  individual  obligations  will  be  met.  It 
would  have  been  much  better  if  clock  creditors  had  accepted  the  best  offer  that  it 
was  in  my  power  to  make  them ;  but  it  was  not  so  to  be.  It  is  now  too  late,  and 
as  I  willingly  give  up  all  I  possess,  I  can  do  no  more- 


404  CLOUDS  AND  SUNSHINE. 

Wherever  my  future  lot  may  be  cast,  I  shall  ever  fondly  cherish  the  kindness 
which  I  have  always  received  from  the  citizens  of  Bridgeport. 
I  am,  my  dear  Sir,  truly  yours, 

P.  T.  BA11NUM. 

Shortly  after  this  sympathetic  meeting,  a  number  of 
gentlemen  in  Bridgeport  offered  me  a  loan  of  $50,000 
if  that  sum  would  be  instrumental  in  extricating  me 
from  my  entanglement.  I  could  not  say  that  this? 
amount  would  meet  the  exigency;  I  could  only  say, 
"  wait,  wait,  and  hope." 

Meanwhile,  my  eyes  were  fully  opened  to  the  entire 
magnitude  of  the  deception  that  had  been  practised 
upon  my  too  confiding  nature.  I  not  only  discovered 
that  my  notes  had  been  used  to  five  times  the  amount 
I  stipulated  or  expected,  but  that  they  had  been 
applied,  not  to  relieving  the  company  from  temporary 
embarrassment  after  my  connection  with  it,  but  almost 
wholly  to  the  redemption  of  old  and  rotten  claims  of 
years  and  months  gone  by.  To  show  the  extent  to 
which  the  fresh  victim  was  deliberately  bled,  it  may  be 
stated  that  I  was  induced  to  become  surety  to  one  of 
the  New  Haven  banks  in  the  sum  of  $30,000  to  indem 
nify  the  bank  against  future  losses  it  might  incur  from 
the  Jerome  company  after  my  connection  with  it,  and 
by  some  legerdemain  this  bond  was  made  to  cover  past 
obligations  which  were  older  even  than  my  knowledge 
of  the  existence  of  the  company.  In  every  way  it 
seemed  as  if  I  had  been  cruelly  swindled  and  delibe 
rately  defrauded. 

As  the  clock  company  had  gone  to  pieces  and  was 
paying  but  from  twelve  to  fifteen  per  cent  for  its  paper, 
I  sent  two  of  my  friends  to  New  Haven  to  ask  for  a 
meeting  of  the  creditors  and  I  instructed  them  to  say  in 
substance  for  me  as  follows : 


CLOTHES  AND  SUNSHINE.  405 

"  Gentlemen :  This  is  a  capital  practical  joke !  Be 
fore  I  negotiated  with  your  clock  company  at  all,  I  was 
assured  by  several  of  you,  and  particularly  by  a  represen 
tative  of  the  bank  which  was  the  largest  creditor  of  the 
concern,  that  the  Jerome  company  was  eminently  respon 
sible  and  that  the  head  of  the  same  was  uncommonly  t 
pious.  On  the  strength  of  such  representations  solely, 
I  was  induced  to  agree  to  indorse  and  accept  paper  for 
that  company  to  the  extent  of  $1 10,000  —  no  more.  That 
sum  I  am  now  willing  to  pay  for  my  own  verdancy, 
with  an  additional  sum  of  $40,000  for  your  'cuteness, 
making  a  total  of  $150,000,  which  you  can  have  if  you 
cry  '  quits'  with  the  fleeced  showman  and  let  him  off." 

Many  of  the  old  creditors  favored  this  proposition ; 
but  it  was  found  that  the  indebtedness  was  so  scattered 
it  would  be  impracticable  to  attempt  a  settlement  by  an 
unanimous  compromise  of  the  creditors.  It  was 
necessary  to  liquidation  that  my  property  should  go 
into  the  hands  of  assignees ;  I  therefore  at  once  turned 
over  my  Bridgeport  property  to  Connecticut  assignees 
and  I  removed  my  family  to  New  York,  where  I  also 
made  an  assignment  of  all  my  real  and  personal  estate, 
excepting  what  had  already  been  transferred  in  Connect 
icut. 

About  this  time  I  received-  a  letter  from  Philadelphia 
preferring  $500  in  case  my  circumstances  were  such 
that  I  really  stood  in  need  of  help.  The  very  wording  of 
the  letter  awakened  the  suspicion  in  my  mind  that  it 
was  a  trick  to  ascertain  whether  I  really  had  any  prop 
erty,  for  I  knew  that  banks  and  brokers  in  that  city 
held  some  of  my  Jerome  paper  which  they  refused  to 
compound  or  compromise.  So  I  at  once  wrote  that  I 
did  need  $500,  and,  as  I  expected,  the  money  did  not 
19 


406  CLOUDS  AND  SUNSHINE. 

come,  nor  was  my  letter  answered;  but,  as  a  natural 
consequence,  the  Philadelphia  bankers  who  were 
holding  the  Jerome  paper  for  a  higher  percentage  at 
once  acceded  to  the  terms  which  I  had  announced  my 
self  able  and  willing  to  pay. 

Every  dollar   which   I  honestly    owed    on    my  own 

count  I  had  already  paid  in  full  or  had  satisfactorily 
-.1  ranged.  For  the  liabilities  incurred  by  the  deliberate 
deception  which  had  involved  me  I  offered  such  a  per 
centage  as  I  thought  my  estate,  when  sold,  would 
eventually  pay  ;  and  my  wife,  from  her  own  property, 
advanced  from  time  to  time  money  to  take  up  such  notes 
as  could  be  secured  upon  these  terms.  It  was,  however, 
a  slow  process.  More  than  one  creditor  would  hold  on 
to  his  note,  which  possibly  he  had  "  shaved  "  at  the  rate 
of  two  or  three  per  cent  a  month,  and  say ; 

"  Oh !  you  can't  keep  Barnum  down ;  he  will  dig  out 
after  a  while ;  I  shall  never  sell  my  claim  for  less  than 
par  and  interest." 

Of  course,  I  knew  very  well  that  if  all  the  creditors 
took  this  view  I  should  never  get  out  of  the  entangle 
ment  in  which  I  had  been  involved  by  the  old  creditors 
of  the  Jerome  Company,  who  had  so  ingeniously  man 
aged  to  make  me  take  their  place.  All  I  could  do 
was  to  take  a  thorough  survey  of  the  situation,  arid  con 
sider,  now  that  I  was  down,  how  I  could  get  up 
again. 

46  Every  cloud,"  says  the  proverb,  "has  a  silver  lin 
ing,"  and  so  I  did  not  despair.  "  This  blow,"  I  thought 
"  may  be  beneficial  to  my  children,  if  not  to  me."  They 
had  been  brought  up  in  luxury ;  accustomed  to  call 
on  servants  to  attend  to  every  want ;  and  almost  unlim 
ited  in  the  expenditure  of  money.  My  daughter  Helen, 


CLOUDS  AND   SUNSHINE.  407 

especially,  was  naturally  extravagant.  She  was  a  warm 
hearted,  generous  girl,  who  knew  literally  nothing  of 
the  value  of  money  and  the  difficulty  of  acquiring  it. 
At  this  time  she  was  fifteen  years  old,  and  was  attend 
ing  a  French  boarding  school  in  the  City  of  Washing 
ton.  A  few  days  after  the  news  of  my  failure  was  pub 
lished  in  the  papers,  my  friend,  the  Rev.  Dr.  E.  H. 
Chapin,  of  New  York,  was  at  my  house.  He  had  long 
been  intimate  with  my  family,  and  was  well  acquainted 
with  the  extravagant  ideas  and  wrays  of  my  daughter 
Helen.  One  morning,  I  received  a  letter  from  her,  filled 
with  sympathy  and  sorrow  for  my  misfortunes.  She 
told  me  how  much  shocked  she  was  at  hearing  of  my 
financial  disasters,  and  added :  "  Do  send  for  me  imme- 
/liately,  for  I  cannot  think  of  remaining  here  at  an 
expense  which  my  parents  cannot  afford.  I  have 
learned  to  play  the  piano  well  enough  to  be  able  to  take 
some  little  girls  as  pupils,  and  in  this  way  I  can  be 
of  some  assistance  in  supporting  the  family." 

On  reading  this  I  was  deeply  affected ;  and,  handing 
(he  letter  to  Dr.  Chapin,  I  said :  "  There,  sir,  is  a  letter 
which  is  worth  ten  thousand  dollars." 

"  Twenty  thousand,  at  the  least !  "  was  the  exclama 
tion  of  the  Doctor  when  he  had  read  it. 

We  were  now  living  in  a  very  frugal  manner  in 
a  hired  furnished  house  in  Eighth  Street,  near  Sixth 
Avenue,  in  New  York,  and  our  landlady  and  her  family 
boarded  with  us.  At  the  age  of  forty-six,  after  the 
acquisition  and  the  loss  of  a  handsome  fortune,  I  was 
once  more  nearly  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder,  and  was 
about  to  begin  the  world  again.  The  situation  wras 
disheartening,  but  I  had  energy,  experience,  health 
and  hope. 


.       . .         .- 
CHAPTER     XXVII.  ,  „.;,        :, 

EEST,  BUT  NOT  RUST. 

SALE  OF  THE  MUSEUM  COLLECTION  —  SUPPLEMENTARY  PROCEEDINGS  OF  MY 
CREDITORS  —  EXAMINATIONS  IN  COURT  —  BARNUM  AS  A  BAR  T3NDER — PER 
SECUTION —  THE  SUMMER  SEASON  ON  LONG  ISLAND  —  THE  MUSEUM  MAN  ON 
SHOW  —  CHARLES  HOWELL  —  A  GREAT  NATURAL  CURIOSITY — VALUE  OF  A 
HONK  —  PROPOSING  TO  BUY  IT  —  A  BLACK  WHALE  PAYS  MY  SUMMER'S 
BOARD  —  A  TURN  IN  THE  TIDE — THE  WHEELER  AND  WILSON  SEWING  MA 
CHINE  COMPANY  —  THEIR  REMOVAL  TO  EAST  BRIDGEPORT  —  THE  TEKRY 
AND  BARNUM  CLOCK  FACTORY  OCCUPIED  —  NEW  CITY  PROPERTY  LOOKING 
UP  —  A  LOAN  OF  $5,000  —  THE  CAUSE  OF  MY  RUIN  PROMISES  TO  ME  MY  RE 
DEMPTION —  SETTING  SAIL  FOR  ENGLAND  —  GENERAL  TOM  THUMB  —  LITTLE 
CORDELIA  HOWARD. 

IN  the  summer  of  1855,  previous  to  my  financial 
troubles,  feeling  that  I  was  independent  and  could 
retire  from  active  business,  I  sold  the  American  Mu 
seum  collection  and  good  will  to  Messrs.  John  Green 
wood,  Junior,  and  Henry  D.  Butler.  They  paid  me 
double  the  amount  the  collection  had  originally  cost,  giv 
ing  me  notes  for  nearly  the  entire  amount  secured  by  a 
chattel  mortgage,  and  hired  the  premises  from  my  wife, 
who  owned  the  Museum  property  lease,  and  on  which, 
by  the  agreement  of  Messrs.  Greenwood  and  Butler,  she 
realized  a  profit  of  $19,000  a  year.  The  chattel  mort 
gage  of  Messrs.  Greenwood  and  Butler,  was,  of  course, 
turned  over  to  the  New  York  assignee  with  the  other 
property. 

And  now  there  came  to  me  a  new  sensation  which 
was  at  times  terribly  depressing  and  annoying.  My  wide 
spread  reputation  for  shrewdness  as  a  showman  had 


BEST,  BUT  NOT  BUST.  409 

induced  the  general  belief  that  my  means  were  still 
ample ,  and  certain  outside  creditors  who  had  bought  my 
clock  notes  at  a  tremendous  discount  and  entirely  on 
speculation,  made  up  their  minds  that  they  must  be 
paid  at  once  without  waiting  for  the  slow  process  of  the 
sale  of  my  property  by  the  assignees. 

They  therefore  took  what  are  termed  "  supplementary 
proceedings,"  which  enabled  them  to  haul  me  any  day 
before  a  judge  for  the  purpose,  as  they  phrased  it,  of 
"  putting  Barnum  through  a  course  of  sprouts,"  and 
which  meant  an  examination  of  the  debtor  under  oath, 
compelling  him  to  disclose  everything  with  regard  to  his 
property,  his  present  means  of  living,  and  so  on. 

I  repeatedly  answered  all  questions  on 'these  points; 
and  reports  of  the  daily  examinations  were  published. 
Still  another  and  another,  and  yet  another  creditor  would 
haul  me  up ;  and  his  attorney  would  ask  me  the  same 
questions  which  had  already  been  answered  and  pub 
lished  half  a  dozen  times.  This  persistent  and  unneces 
sary  annoyance  created  considerable  sympathy  for  me, 
which  was  not  only  expressed  by  letters  I  received  daily 
from  various  parts  of  the  country,  but  the  public  press, 
with  now  and  then  an  exception,  took  my  part,  and  even 
the  Judges,  before  whom  I  appeared,  said  to  me  on 
more  than  one  occasion,  that  as  men  they  sincerely 
pitied  me,  but  as  judges  of  course  they  must  administer 
the  law.  After  a  while,  however,  the  judges  ruled  that 
I  need  not  answer  any  question  propounded  to  me  by  an 
attorney,  if  I  had  already  answered  the  same  question 
to  some  other  attorney  in  a  previous  examination  in 
behalf  of  other  creditors.  In  fact,  one  of  the  judges, 
on  one  occasion,  said  pretty  sharply  to  an  examining 
attorney : 


410  BEST,  BUT  NOT  BUST. 

"  This,  sir,  has  become  simply  a  case  of  persecution. 
Mr.  Barnum  has  many  times  answered  every  question 
that  can  properly  be  put  to  him  to  elicit  the  desired 
information ;  and  I  think  it  is  time  to  stop  these  exam 
inations.  I  advise  him  to  not  answer  one  interrogatory 
which  he  has  replied  to  under  any  previous  inquiries." 

These  things  gave  me  some  heart,  so  that  at  last,  I 
went  up  to  the  "  sprouts  "  with  less  reluctance,  and 
began  to  try  to  pay  off  my  persecutors  in  their  own 
coin. 

On  one  occasion,  a  dwarfish  little  lawyer,  who 
reminded  me  of  "  Quilp,"  commenced  his  examination 
in  behalf  of  a  note-shaver  who  held  a  thousand  dollar 
note,  which  it  seemed  he  had  bought  for  seven  hundred 
dollars.  After  the  oath  had  been  administered  the 
little  "limb  of  the  law"  arranged  his  'pen,  ink  and 
paper,  and  in  a  loud  voice,  and  with  a  most  peremptory 
and  supercilious  air,  asked  : 

"  What  is  your  name,  sir? " 

I  answered  him,  and  his  next  question,  given  in 
a  louder  and  more  peremptory  tone,  was : 

"  What  is  your  business  V 

"  Attending  bar,"  I  meekly  replied. 

"  Attending  bar  !  "  he  echoed,  with  an  appearance  of 
much  surprise  ;  "  Attending  bar !  Why,  do  n't  you 
profess  to  be  a  temperance  man  —  a  teetotaler  V 

"  I  do,"  I  replied. 

"  And  yet,  sir,  do  you  have  the  audacity  to  assert  that 
you  peddle  rum  all  day,  and  drink  none  yourself  ? " 

"  I  doubt  whether  that  is  a  relevant  question,"  I 
said  in  a  low  tone  of  voice. 

"  I  will  appeal  to  his  honor  the  judge,  if  you  don't 
answer  it  instantly,"  said  Quilp  in  great  glee. 


EEST,  BUT  NOT  RUST.  411 

"  I  attend  bar,  and  yet  never  drink  intoxicating 
liquors,"  I  replied. 

"  Where  do  you  attend  bar,  and  for  whom]"  was 
the  next  question. 

"  I  attend  the  bar  of  this  court,  nearly  every  day, 
for  the  benefit  of  two-penny,  would-be  lawyers  and 
their  greedy  clients,"  I  answered. 

A  loud  tittering  in  the  vicinity  only  added  to  the  vex 
ation  which  was  already  visible  on  the  countenance  of 
my  interrogator,  and  he  soon  brought  his  examination  to 
a  close. 

On  another  occasion,  a  young  lawyer  was  pushing 
his  inquiries  to  a  great  length,  when,  in  a  half  laughing, 
apologetic  tone,  he  said: 

"  You  see,  Mr.  Barnum,  I  am  searching  after  the  small 
things  ;  I  am  willing  to  take  even  the  crumbs  which  fall 
from  the  rich  man's  table  ! " 

"Which  are  you,  Lazarus,  or  one  of  the  dogs?"' 
I  asked. 

"  I  guess  a  blood-hound  would  not  smell  out  much  on 
this  trail,"  he  said  good-naturedly,  adding  that  he  had 
no  more  questions  to  ask. 

I  still  continued  to  receive  many  offers  of  pecuniary 
assistance,  which,  whenever  proposed  in  the  form  of  a 
gift,  I  invariably  refused.  In  a  number  of  instances, 
personal  friends  tendered  me  their  checks  for  $500, 
$1,000,  and  other  sums,  but  I  always  responded  in 
substance :  "  Oh,  no,  I  thank  you ;  I  do  not  need  it ;  my 
wife  has  considerable  property,  besides  a  large  income 
from  her  Museum  lease.  I  want  for  nothing ;  I  do  not 
owe  a  dollar  for  personal  obligations  that  is  not  already 
secured,  and  when  the  clock  creditors  have  fully  investi 
gated  and  thought  over  the  matter,  I  think  they  will  be 


412  BEST,  BUT  NOT  BUST. 

content  to  divide  my  property  among  themselves  and  let 
me  up." 

Just  after  my  failure,  and  on  account  of  the  ill- 
health  of  my  wife,  I  spent  a  portion  of  the  summer 
•with  my  family  in  the  farmhouse  of  Mr.  Charles  Howell, 
at  "Westhampton,  on  Long  Island.  The  place  is  a  mile 
west  of  Quogue,  and  was  then  called  "  Ketchebon- 
neck."  The  thrifty  and  intelligent  farmers  of  the 
neighborhood  were  in  the  habit  of  taking  summer 

O  O 

boarders,  and  the.  place  had  become  a  favorite  resort. 
Mr.  Howell's  farm  lay  close  upon  the  ocean  and  I  found 
the  residence  a  cool  and  delightful  one.  Surf  bathing, 
fishing,  shooting  and  fine  roads  for  driving  made  the 
season  pass  pleasantly  and  the  respite  from  active  life  and 
immediate  annoyance  from  my  financial  troubles  was  a 
very  great  benefit  to  me. 

Our  landlord  was  an  eccentric  character,  who  took 
great  pleasure  in  showing  me  to  his  friends  and  neigh 
bors  as  u  the  Museum  man,"  and  consequently,  as  a  great 
curiosity ;  for  in  his  estimation,  the  American  Museum 
was  chief  among  the  institutions  of  New  York.  He 
was  in  a  habit  of  gathering  shells  and  such  rarities  as 
came  within  his  reach,  which  he  took  to  the  city  and 
disposed  of  at  the  Museum.  He  often  spoke  of  certain 
phenomena  in  his  neighborhood,  which  he  thought 
would  tafoe" well  with  the  public,  if  they  were  prop 
erly ;  brought  out.  One  day  he  said : 

*4'Mr.  Barnum,  I  am  going  to  Moriches  this  morning, 
and  I  want  you  to  go  along  with  me  and  see  a  great 
curiosity  there  is  there." 

«  What  is  it  ?"  I  asked. 

"  It  is  a  man  who  has  got  a  natural  c  honk,'"  replied 
Howell,  "  and  it  is  worth  fifty  dollars  a  year  to  him." 


BEST,  BUT  NOT  BUST.  413 


"A  what]"  I  inquired. 

"  A  honk  !  a  honk  !  a  perfectly  natural  honk  !  he 
makes  fifty  dollars  a  year  out  of  it,"  Howell  reiterated. 

I  could  not  comprehend  what  a  "  honk  "  was,  but  con 
cluded  that  if  it  was  worth  fifty  dollars  a  year  among 
the  Long  Island  fishermen  and  farmers  who  could  hardly 
be  expected  to  pay  much  for  mere  sight-seeing,  it  would 
be  much  more  valuable  to  exhibit  in  the  Museum.  So  I 
remarked  that  as  I  was  authorized  by  Messrs.  Green 
wood  and  Butler  to  purchase  curiosities  for  them,  I 
would  go  with  him  and  buy  the  honk  from  its  possessor 
if  I  could  get  it  at  a  reasonable  price. 

"  Buy  it  !  "  exclaimed  Howell  ;  "I  guess  you  can't 
buy  it  !  You  do  n't  seem  to  understand  me  ;  the  man 
has  got  a  natural  honk,  I  tell  you  ;  that  is,  he  honks 
exactly  like  a  wild  goose  ;  when  flocks  are  flying  over 
he  goes  out  and  honks  and  the  geese,  supposing  that 
some  goose  has  settled  and  is  honking  for  the  rest  of 
the  flock  to  come  down  and  feed,  all  fly  towards  the 
ground  and  he'  lets  into  'em'  with  his  gun,  thus  killing 
a  great  many,  and  in  this  way  his  honk  is  worth  fifty 
dollars  a  year  to  him,  and  perhaps  more." 

I  decided  not  to  attempt  to  buy  the  "  honk,"  but  my 
eagerness  to  do  so  and  my  entire  ignorance  of  the  char 
acter  of  the  curiosity  furnished  food  for  laughter  to 
Howell  and  his  neighbors  for  a  long  time. 

One  morning  we  discovered  that  the  waves  had 
thrown  upon  the  beach  a  young  black  whale  some 
twelve  feet  long.  It  was  dead,  but  the  fish  was  hard 
and  fresh  and  I  bought  it  for  a  few  dollars  from  the 
men  who  had  taken  possession  of  it.  I  sent  it  at 
once  to  the  Museum,  where  it  was  exhibited  in  a  huge 
refrigerator  for  a  few  days,  creating  considerable  excite- 
19* 


414:  BEST,  BUT  NOT  BUST. 

ment,  the  general  public  considering  it  "  a  big  thing  on 
ice,"  and  the  managers  gave  me  a  share  of  the  profits, 
which  amounted  to  a  sufficient  sum  to  pay  the  entire 
board  bill  of  my  family  for  the  season. 

This  incident  both  amused  and  amazed  my  Long 
Island  landlord.  "Well,  I  declare,"  said  he,  "that 
beats  all ;  you  are  the  luckiest  man  I  ever  heard  of. 
Here  you  come  and  board  for  four  months  with  your  fam 
ily,  and  when  your  time  is  nearly  up,  and  you  are  getting 
ready  to  leave,  out  rolls  a  black  whale  on  our  beach,  a 
thing  never  heard  of  before  in  this  vicinity,  and  you 
take  that  whale  and  pay  your  whole  bill  with  it !  I 
wonder  if  that  ain't  c  providential'  1  Why,  that  beats 
the  £  natural  honk '  all  to  pieces  !  "  This  was  followed 
by  such  a  laugh  as  only  Charles  Ho  well  could  give,  and 
like  one  of  his  peculiar  sneezes,  it  resounded,  echoed, 
and  re-echoed  through  the  whole  neighborhood. 

Soon  after  my  return  to  New  York,  something 
occurred  which  I  foresaw,  I  thought,  at  the  time,  was 
likely  indirectly  to  lead  me  out  of  the  wilderness  into  a 
clear  field  again,  and,  indeed,  it  eventually  did  so. 
Strange  to  say,  my  new  city  which  had  been  my  ruin 
was  to  be  my  redemption,  and  dear  East  Bridgeport 
which  plunged  me  into  the  slough  was  to  bring  me  out 
again.  "  Dear"  as  the  place  had  literally  proved  to  me, 
it  was  to  be  yet  dearer,  in  another  and  better  sense, 
hereafter. 

The  now  gigantic  Wheeler  &  Wilson  Sewing  Machine 
Company  was  then  doing  a  comparatively  small,  yet 
rapidly  growing  business  at  Watertovvn,  Connecticut. 
The  Terry  £  Barnum  clock  factory  was  standing  idle, 
almost  worthless,  in  East  Bridgeport,  and  Wheeler  & 
Wilson  saw  in  the  empty  building,  the  situation,  the  ease 


BEST,  BUT  NOT  RUST.  415 

of  communication  with  New  York,  and  other  advantages, 
precisely  what  they  wanted,  provided  they  could  procure 
the  premises  at  a  rate  which  would  compensate  them 
for  the  expense  and  trouble  of  removing  their  establish 
ment  from  Watertown.  It  is  enough  to  say  here,  that 
the  clock  factory  was  sold  for  a  trifle  and  the  Wheeler 
£  Wilson  Company  moved  into  it  and  speedily  enlarged 
it.  I  felt  then  that  this  was  providential ;  the  fact  that 
the  empty  building  could  be  cheaply  purchased  was  the 
main  motive  for  the  removal  of  this  Watertown  enter 
prise  to  East  Bridgeport,  and  was  one  of  the  first 
indications  that  my  failure  might  prove  a  "  blessing  in 
disguise."  It  was  a  fresh  impulse  towards  the  building 
up  of  the  new  city  and  the  consequent  increase  of  the 
value  of  the  land  belonging  to  my  estate.  Many  persons 
did  not  see  these  things  in  the  same  light  in  which 
they  were  presented  to  me,  but  I  had  so  long  pondered 
upon  the  various  means  which  were  to  make  the  new 
city  prosperous,  that  I  was  quick  to  catch  any  indication 
which  promised  benefit  to  East  Bridgeport. 

This  important  movement  of  the  Wheeler  and  Wil 
son  Company  gave  me  the  greatest  hope,  and  moreover, 
Mr.  Wheeler  kindly  offered  me  a  loan  of  $5,000,  with 
out  security,  and  as  I  was  anxious  to  have  it  used  in 
purchasing  the  East  Bridgeport  property,  when  sold  at 
public  auction  by  my  assignees,  and  also  in  taking  up 
such  clock  notes  as  could  be  bought  at  a  reasonable  per 
centage,  I  accepted  the  offer  and  borrowed  the  $5,000. 
This  sum,  with  many  thousand  dollars  more  belonging 
to  my  wife,  was  devoted  to  these  purposes. 

It  seemed  as  if  I  had  now  got  hold  of  the  thread 
which  would  eventually  lead  me  out  of  the  labyrinth  of 
financial  difficulty  in  which  the  Jerome  entanglement 


416  BEST,  BUT  NOT  BUST. 

had  involved  me.  Though  the  new  plan  promised  relief, 
and  actually  did  succeed,  even  beyond  my  most  san 
guine  expectations,  eventually  putting  more  money  into 
my  pocket  than  the  Jerome  complication  had  taken  out 
—  yet  I  also  foresaw  that  the  process  would  necessarily 
be  very  sloiv.  In  fact,  two  years  afterwards  I  had  made 
very  little  progress.  But  I  concluded  to  let  the  new 
venture  work  cflit  itself  and  it  would  go  on  as  well 
without  my  personal  presence  and  attention,  perhaps 
even  better.  Growing  trees,  money  at  interest,  and  rap 
idly  rising  real  estate,  work  for  their  owners  all  night 
as  well  as  all  day,  Sundays  included,  and  when  the  pro 
prietors  are  asleep  or  away,  and  with  the  design  of  coop 
erating  in  the  new  accumulation  and  of  saving  some 
thing  to  add  to  the  amount,  I  made  up  my  mind  to  go 
to  Europe  again.  I  was  anxious  for  a  change  of  scene 
and  for  active  employment,  and  equally  desirous  of  get 
ting  away  from  the  immediate  pressure  of  troubles 
which  no  effort  on  my  part  could  then  remove.  While 
•my  --affairs  were  working  out  themselves  in  their  own 
way  and  in  the  speediest  manner  possible,  I  might  be 
doing  something  for  myself  and  for  my  family. 

'•  Accordingly,1  leaving  all  my  business  affairs  at  home 
ih'the  hands  of  my  friends,  early  in  1857  I  set  sail  once 
more  for  England,  taking  with  me  General  Tom  Thumb, 
nhtl  also  little  Cordelia  Howard  and  her  parents.  This 
young  girl  had  attained  an  extended  reputation  for  her 
artistic  personation  of  "Little  Eva,"  in  the  play  of 
"  Uncle  Tom,"  and  she  displayed  a  precocious  talent  in 
her  rendering  of  other  juvenile  characters.  With  these 
attractions,  and  with  what  else  I  might  be  able  to  do 
myself,  I  determined  to  make  as  much  money  as  I 
could,  intending  to  remit  the  same  to  my  wife's  friends, 


BEST,  BUT  KOT  KUST.  417 

for  the  purpose  of  repurchasing  a  portion  of  my  estate, 
when  it  was  offered  at  auction,  and  of  redeeming  such 
of  the  clock  notes  as  could  be  obtained  at  reasonable 
rates. 


f  *  i >>  loot jri97ifc  I  ni  fibnoli' i  y agat  y^t 
t!)9TiiJO->O'  l>r>i{  jlJ^o 
^/pue  oifl  ai  Jbovil  11^ 


>o.m  to 
,1/j  .fjonii. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

ABEOAD  AGAIN. 

OLD   FRIENDS   IN  OLD   ENGLAND  —  ALBERT    SMITH  AS    A  SHOWMAN  —  HIS    ASCENT 
OF  MONT  BLANC  —  POPULARITY  OF  THE  ENTERTAINMENT  —  THE  GARRICK  CLUB 

—  "  PHINEAS  CUTECRAFT "  —  THE  ELEVEN  THOUSAND  VIRGINS   OF   COLOGNE  — 
UTILIZING     INCIDENTS  —  SUBTERRANEAN      TERRORS  —  A     PANIC  —  EGYPTIAN 
DARKNESS   IN  EGYPTIAN   HALL  —  WILLIAM    M.    THACKERAY — HIS   TWO  VISITS 
TO   AMERICA  —  FRIENDLY  RELATIONS   WITH   THE   NOVELIST  —  I  LOSE  HIS   SYM 
PATHY —  HIS     WARM     REGARD     FOR     HIS     AMERICAN     FRIENDS  —  OTTO     GOLD- 
SCHMIDT  AND     JENNY     LIND     GOLDSCHMIDT  —  TENDER     OF     THEIR    AID  —  THE 
FORGED  LIND   LETTER  —  BENEDICT  AND  BELLETTI — GEORGE  AUGUSTUS   SALA 

—  CHARLES   KEAN  —  EDMUND  YATES  —  HORACE  MAYIIEVV  —  GEORGE   PEABODY 

—  MR.    BUCKSTONE — MY  EXHIBITIONS   IN  ENGLAND  —  S.    M.  PETTINGILL  —  Mil. 
LUMLEY. 

ON  arriving  at  Liverpool,  I  found  that  my  old 
friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lynn,  of  the  Waterloo  Hotel,  had 
changed  very  little  during  my  ten  years'  absence  from 
England.  Even  the  servants  in  the  hotel  were  mainly 
those  whom  I  left  there  when  I  last  went  away  from 
Liverpool  —  which  illustrates,  in  a  small  way,  how 
much  less  changeable,  and  more  <;  conservative "  the 
English  people  are  than  we  are.  The  old  head-waiter, 
Thomas,  was  still  head- waiter,  as  he  had  been  for  full 
twenty  years.  His  hair  was  more  silvered,  his  gait  was 
slower,  his  shoulders  had  rounded,  but  he  was  as  ready 
to  receive,  as  I  was  to  repeat,  the  first  order  I  ever  gave 
him,  to  wit:  "Fried  soles  and  shrimp  sauce." 

And  among  my  many  friends  in  Liverpool  and  Lon 
don,  but  one  death  had  occurred,  and  with  only  two 
exceptions  they  all  lived  in  the  same  buildings,  and  pur- 


ABBOAD  AGAIN.  419 

sued  the  same  vocations  as  when  I  left  them  in  1847. 
When  I  reached  London,  I  found  one  of  these  excep 
tions  to  be  Mr.  Albert  Smith,  who,  when  I  first  knew 
him,  was  a  dentist,  a  literary  hack,  a  contributor  to 
Punch,  and  a  writer  for  the  magazines,  —  and  who  was 
now  transformed  to  a  first-class  showman  in  the  full  tide 
of  success,  in  my  own  old  exhibition  quarters  in  Egyp 
tian  Hall,  Piccadilly. 

A  year  or  two  before,  he  had  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  top  of  Mont  Blanc,  and  after  publishing  a  most 
interesting  account,  which  was  re-published  and  trans 
lated  into  several  languages,  the  whole  world  over,  he 
concluded  to  make  further  use  of  his  expedition  by 
adapting  it  to  a  popular  entertainment.  He  therefore 
illustrated  his  ascent  by  means  of  a  finely  painted  and 
accurate  panorama,  and  he  accompanied  the  exhibition 
with  a  descriptive  lecture  full  of  amusing  and  interest 
ing  incidents,  illustrative  of  his  remarkable  experiences 
in  accomplishing  the  difficult  ascent.  He  also  gave  a 
highly- colored  and  exciting  narrative  of  his  entire  jour 
ney  from  London  to  Switzerland,  and  back  again,  includ 
ing  his  trip  up  and  down  the  Rhine,  and  introducing  the 
many  peculiar  characters  of  both  sexes,  he  claimed  to 
have  met  at  different  points  during  his  tour.  These  he 
imitated  and  presented  in  so  life-like  a  manner,  as  to 
fairly  captivate  and  convulse  his  audiences. 

It  was  one  of  the  most  pleasing  and  popular  enter 
tainments  ever  presented  in  London,  and  was  immensely 
remunerative  to  the  projector,  —  resulting,  indeed,  in 
a  very  handsome  fortune.  The  entertainments  were 
patronized  by  the  most  cultivated  classes,  for  informa 
tion  was  blended  with  amusement,  and  in  no  exhibition 
then  in  London  was  there  so  much  genuine  fun.  Two 

•Miocf  -'afjjtniV  oiit 


420  ABROAD  AGAIIT. 

or  three  times  Albert  Smith  was  commanded  to  appear 
before  the  Queen  at  Buckingham  Palace,  and  at  Wind 
sor,  and  as  he  gave  his  entertainment  with  great  success 
on  these  occasions,  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  could  not 
take  his  panorama  with  him,  it  can  readily  be  imagined 
that  the  frame  was  quite  as  good  as  the  picture,  and 
that  the  lecture  as  compared  with  the  panorama,  admi 
rable  as  both  were,  was  by  no  means  the  least  part  of  the 
"  show." 

Calling  upon  Albert  Smith,  I  found  him  the  same 
kind,  cordial  friend  as  ever,  and  he  at  once  put  me  on 
the  free  list  at  his  entertainment,  and  insisted  upon  my 
dining  frequently  with  him  at  his  favorite  club,  the 
Garrick. 

The  first  time  I  witnessed  his  exhibition  he  gave  me 
a  sly  wink  from  the  stage  at  the  moment  of  his  describ 
ing  a  scene  in  the  golden  chamber  of  St.  Ursula's 
church  in  Cologne,  where  the  old  sexton  was  narrating 
the  story  of  the  ashes  and  bones  of  the  eleven  thou 
sand  innocent  virgins  who,  according  to  tradition,  were 
sacrificed  .on  a  certain  occasion.  One  of  the  characters 
whom  he  pretended  to  have  met  several  times  on 
his  trip  to  Mont  Blanc,  was  a  Yankee,  whom  he  named 
"  Phineas  Cutecraft."  The  wink  came  at  the  time  he 
introduced  Phineas  in  the  Cologne  Church,  and  made 
him  say  at  the  end  of  the  sexton's  story  about  the 
Virgins'  bones : 

"  Old  fellow,  what  will  you  take  for  that  hull  lot  of 
bones  \  I  want  them  for  my  Museum  in  America ! " 

When  the  question  had  been  interpreted  to  the  old 
German,  he  exclaimed  in  horror,  according  to  Albert 
Smith : 

"  Mine  Gott!  it  is  impossible!  We  will  never  sell 
the  Virgins'  bones !  " 


ABROAD  AGAIN.  421 

"  Never  mind."  replied  Phineas  Cutecraft,  "  I'll  send 
another  lot  of  bones  to  my  Museum,  swear  mine  are 
the  real  bones  of  the  Virgins  of  Cologne,  and  burst  up 
your  show !  " 

This  always  excited  the  heartiest  laughter  ;  but  Mr. 
Smith  knew  very  well  that  I  would  at  once  recognize  it 
as  a  paraphrase  of  the  scene  wherein  he  had  figured 
with  me  in  1844  at  the  porter's  lodge  of  Warwick 
Castle.  In  the  course  of  the  entertainment,  I  found  he 
had  woven  in  numerous  anecdotes  I  had  told  him  at 
that  time,  and  many  incidents  of  our  excursion  were 
also  travestied  and  made  to  contribute  to  the  interest  of 
his  description  of  the  ascent  of  Mont  Blanc. 

When  we  went  to  the  Garrick  club  that  day,  Albert 
Smith  introduced  me  to  several  of  his  acquaintances  as 
his  "  teacher  in  the  show  business."  As  we  were 
quietly  dining  together,  he  remarked  that  I  must  have 
recognized  several  old  acquaintances  in  the  anecdotes 
at  his  entertainment.  Upon  my  answering  that  I  did, 
"indeed,"  he  remarked,  "you  are  too  old  a  showman 
not  to  know  that  in  order  to  be  popular,  we  must  snap  up 
and  localize  all  the  good  things  which  we  come  across." 
By  thus  engraft  ag  his  various  experiences  upon  this 
Mont  Blanc  ente,  tainment,  Albert  Smith  succeeded  in 
serving  up  a  salmagundi  feast,  which  was  relished 
alike  by  royal  and  less  distinguished  palates. 

At  one  of  the  Egyptian  Hall  matinees,  Albert  Smith, 
espying  me  in  the  audience,  sent  an  usher  to  me  with 
a  note  of  invitation  to  dine  with  him  and  a  number  of 
friends  immediately  after  the  close  of  the  entertainment. 
To  this  invitation  he  added  the  request  that  as  soon  as 
he  concluded  his  lecture  I  should  at  once  come  to  him 
through  the  small  door  under  the  stage  at  the  end  of 


422  ABEOAD  AGAIN. 

the  orchestra,  and  by  thus  getting  ahead  of  the  large 
crowd  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  composing  the  audience 
we  should  save  time  and  reach  the  club  at  an  hour  for 
an  early  dinner. 

As  soon  as  he  uttered  the  last  word  of  his  lecture,  I 
pushed  for  the  little  door,  the  highly  distinguished 
audience,  which  on  this  occasion  was  mainly  made  up 
of  ladies,  meanwhile  slowly  progressing  towards  the 
exits,  while  the  orchestra  was  "  playing  them  out "  with 
selections  of  popular  music.  Closing  the  stage  door 
behind  me,  I  instantly  found  myself  enveloped  in  that 
Egyptian  darkness  which  was  peculiar,  I  suppose,  if  not 
appropriate,  to  that  part  of  Egyptian  Hall.  I  could 
hear  Smith  and  his  assistants  walking  on  the  stage 
over  my  head,  but  I  dare  not  call  out  lest  some  nervous 
Duchess  or  Countess  should  faint  under  the  appre 
hension  that  the  hall  was  on  fire,  or  that  some  other 
severe  disaster  threatened. 

Groping  my  way  blindly  and  hitting  my  head  several 
times  against  sundry  beams,  at  last,  to  my  joy,  I 
reached  the  knob  of  the  door  which  led  me  into  this 
hole,  but  to  my  dismay  it  had  been  locked  from  the 
outside !  In  feeling  abaut,  however,  I  discovered  a 
couple  of  bell  pulls,  both  of  which  I  desperately  jerked 
and  heard  a  faint  tinkling  in  two  opposite  directions. 
Next,  I  heard  the  heavy  canvas  drop-curtain  roll  down 
rapidly  till  it  struck  the  stage  with  a  thud.  Then  the 
music  in  the  orchestra  suddenly  ceased,  and  I  could 
readily  understand  by  the  shrieks  of  the  women  and 
the  loud  protestations  of  masculine  voices  that  the  gas 
had  been  turned  off  and  the  whole  house  left  in  dark 
ness.  This  was  followed  by  hurried  and  heavy  footsteps 
on  the  stage,  the  imprecations  of  stage  carpenters  and 


ABEOAD  AGAIN.  423 

gasmen,  jargon  of  foreign  musicians  in  the  orchestra, 
and  the  earnest  voice  of  my  friend  Smith  excitedly 
exclaiming:  "Who  rung  those  bells?  why  are  we  all 
left  in  the  dark  1  Light  up  here  at  once  ;  bless  my 
soul !  what  does  all  this  mean  ? " 

I  was  amazed,  yet  amused  and  half  alarmed.  What 
to  do,  I  did  not  know,  so  I  sat  still  on  a  box  which  I 
had  stumbled  over.,  as  well  as  upon,  afraid  to  move  or 
put  out  my  hand  lest  I  might  touch  some  machinery 
which  would  give  the  signal  for  thurtder  and  lightning, 
or  an  earthquake,  or  more  likely,  a  Mont  Blanc 
avalanche.  Restored  tranquillity  overhead  assured  me 
that  the  gas  had  been  relighted.  I  knew  Smith  must  be 
anxiously  awaiting  me,  for  he  was  not  a  man  to  be 
behind  time  when  so  important  a  matter  as  dinner  was 
the  motive  of  the  appointment.  Something  desperate 
must  be  done ;  so  I  carefully  groped  my  way  to  the 
stage  door  again  and  with  a  strong  effort  managed  to 
wrench  it  open.  Covered  with  dust  and  perspiration  I 
followed  behind  the  rear  of  the  out-going  audience  and 
found  Smith,  to  whom  I  narrated  my  under-ground 
experiences. 

Brushes,  water  and  towels  soon  put  me  once  more  in 
presentable  condition  and  we  went  to  the  Garrick  Club 
where  we  dined  with  several  gentlemen  of  note. 
Smith  could  not  refrain  from  relating  my  mishaps  and 
their  consequences  in  my  search  for  him  under  diffi 
culties,  and  worse  yet,  under  his  stage,  and  great  was 
the  merriment  over  the  idea  that  an  old  manager  like 
myself  should  so  lose  his  reckoning  in  a  place  with  which 
he  might  well  be  supposed  to  be  perfectly  familiar. 

When  the  late  William  M.  Thackeray  made  his  first 
visit  to  the  United  States,  I  think  in  1852,  he  called  on 


424  ABEOAD  AGAIN. 

me  at  the  Museum  with  a  letter  of  introduction  from 
our  mutual  friend  Albert  Smith.  He  spent  an  hour 
with  me,  mainly  for  the  purpose  of  asking  my  advice  in 
regard  to  the  management  of  the  course  of  lectures  on 
"  The  English  Humorists  of  the  Eighteenth  Century," 
which  he  proposed  to  deliver,  as  he  did  afterwards,  with 
very  great  success,  in  the  principal  cities  of  the  Union. 
I  gave  him  the  best  advice  I  could  as  to  management, 
and  the  cities  he  ought  to  visit,  for  which  he  was  very 
grateful  and  he  called  on  me  whenever  he  was  in  New 
York.  I  also  saw  him  repeatedly  when  he  came  to 
America  the  second  time  with  his  admirable  lectures  on 
"  The  Four  Georges,"  which,  it  will  be  remembered  he 
delivered  in  the  United  States  in  the  season  of  1855-56, 
before  he  read  these  lectures  to  audiences  in  Great 
Britain.  My  relations  with  this  great  novelist,  I  am 
proud  to  say,  were  cordial  and  intimate  ;  and  now,  when 
I  called  upon  him,  in  1857,  at  his  own  house  he 
grasped  me  heartily  by  the  hand  and  said : 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  I  admire  you  more  than  ever.  I  have 
read  the  accounts  in  the  papers  of  the  examinations 
you  underwent  in  the  New  York  courts,  and  the  posi 
tive  pluck  you  exhibit  under  your  pecuniary  embarrass 
ments  is  worthy  of  all  praise.  You  would  never  have 
received  credit  for  the  philosophy  you  manifest,  if  these 
financial  misfortunes  had  not  overtaken  you." 

I  thanked  him  for  his  compliment,  and  he  continued  : 

"  But  tell  me,  Barnum,  are  you  really  in  need  of  pres 
ent  assistance?  for  if  you  are  you  must  be  helped." 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  I  replied,  laughing  ;  "  I  need  more 
money  in  order  to  get  out  of  bankruptcy  and  I  intend 
to  earn  it ;  but  so  far  as  daily  bread  is  concerned,  I  am 
quite  at  ease,  for  my  wife  is  worth  £30,000  or  £40,000." 


ABKOAD  AGAIN.  425 

t;  Is  it  possible  I "  he  exclaimed,  with  evident  delight ; 
"  well,  now,  you  have  lost  all  my  sympathy  ;  why,  that 
is  more  than  I  ever  expect  *to  be  worth ;  I  shall  be 
sorry  for  you  no  more." 

During  my  stay  in  London,  I  met  Thackeray  several 
times,  and  on  one  occasion  I  dined  with  him.  He  was 
a  most  genial,  noble-hearted  gentleman.  In  our  conversa 
tions  he  spoke  with  the  warmest  appreciation  of  Amer 
ica,  and  of  his  numerous  friends  in  this  country,  and  he 
repeatedly  expressed  his  obligations  to  me  for  the 
advice  and  assistance  I  had  given  him  on  the  occasion 
of  his  first  lecturing  visit  to  the  United  States. 

The  late  Charles  Kean,  then  manager  of  the  Princess's 
Theatre,  in  London,  was  also  exceedingly  polite  and 
friendly  to  me.  He  placed  a  box  at  my  disposal  at  all 
times,  and  took  me  through  his  theatre  to  show  me  the 
stage,  dressing  rooms,  and  particularly  the  valuable 
"  properties  "  he  had  collected.  Among  other  things, 
he  had  twenty  or  more  complete  suits  of  real  armor  and 
other  costumes  and  appointments  essential  to  the  pro 
duction  of  historical  plays,  in  the  most  complete  and 
authentic  manner.  In  the  mere  matter  of  stage-setting, 
Charles  Kean  has  never  been  surpassed. 

Otto  Goldschmidt,  the  husband  of  Jenny  Lind,  also 
called  on  me  in  London.  He  and  his  wife  were  then 
living  in  Dresden,  and  he  said  the  first  thing  his  wife 
desired  him  to  ask  me  was,  whether  I  was  in  want.  I 
assured  him  that  I  was  not,  although  I  was  managing  to 
live  in  an  economical  way  and  my  family  would  soon 
come  over  to  reside  in  London.  He  then  advised  me  to 
take  them  to  Dresden,  saying  that  living  was  very  cheap 
there  ;  and,  he  added,  "  my  wife  will  gladly  look  up  a 
proper  house  for  you  to  live  in."  I  thankfully  declined 


426  ABROAD  AGAIN. 

his  proffered  kindness,  as  Dresden  was  too  far  away  from 
my  business.  A  year  subsequent  to  this,  a  letter  was 
generally  published  in  the  American  papers,  purporting 
to  have  been  written  to  me  by  Jenny  Lind,  and  proffer 
ing  me  a  large  sum  of  money.  I  immediately  pronounced 
the  letter  a  forgery,  and  I  soon  afterwards  received  a 
communication  from  a  young  reporter  in  Philadelphia 
acknowledging  himself  as  the  author,  and  saying  that 
he  wrote  it  from  a  good  motive,  hoping  it  would  benefit 
me.  On  the  contrary  it  annoyed  me  exceedingly. 

My  old  friends  Julius  Benedict  and  Giovanni 
Belletti,  called  on  me  and  we  had  some  very  pleasant 
dinners  together,  when  we  talked  over  incidents  of 
their  travels  in  America.  Among  the  gentlemen  whom 
I  met  in  London,  some  of  them  quite  frequently  at 
dinners,  were  Mr.  George  Augustus  Sala,  Mr.  Edmund 
Yates,  Mr.  Horace  Mayhew,  Mr.  Alfred  Bunn,  Mr. 
Lumley,  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre,  Mr.  Buckstone,  of 
the  Haymarket,  Mr.  Charles  Kean,  our  princely  country 
men  Mr.  George  Peabody,  Mr.  J.  M.  Morris,  the  manager, 
Mr.  Bates,  of  Baring,  Brothers  &  Co.,  Mr.  Oxenford, 
dramatic  critic  of  the  London  Times ,  Dr.  Ballard,  the 
American  dentist,  and  many  other  eminent  persons. 

I  had  numerous  offers  from  professional  friends  on 
both  sides  of  the  Atlantic"  who  supposed  me  to  be  in 
need  of  employment.  Mr.  Barney  Williams,  who  had 
not  then  acted  in  England,  proposed  in  the  kindest  man 
ner  to  make  me  his  agent  for  a  tour  through  Great 
Britain,  and  to  give  me  one-third  of  the  profits  which 
he  and  Mrs.  Williams  might  make  by  their  acting.  Mr. 
S.  M.  Pettengill,  of  New  York,  the  newspaper  advertis 
ing  agent,  offered  me  the  fine  salary  of  $10,000  a  year 
to  transact  business  for  him  in  Great  Britain.  He 


ABEOAD  AGAIN.  427 

wrote  to  me  :  "  when  you  failed  in  consequence  of  the 
Jerome  clock  notes,  I  felt  that  your  creditors  were 
dealing  hard  with  you ;  that  they  should  have  let  you 
up  and  give  you  a  chance,  and  they  would  have  fared 
better  and  I  wish  I  was  a  creditor  so  as  to  show  what  I 
would  do."  These  offers,  both  from  Mr.  Williams  and 
Mr.  Pettengill,  I  was  obliged  to  decline. 

Mr.  Lumley,  manager  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre,  used 
to  send  me  an  order  for  a  private  box  for  every  opera  night, 
and  I  frequently  availed  myself  of  his  courtesy.  I  had 
an  idea  that  much  money  might  be  made  by  transferring 
his  entire  opera  company,  which  then  included  Piccolo- 
mini  and  Titjiens  to  New  York  for  a  short  season.  The 
plan  included  the  charter  of  a  special  steamer  for  the 
company  and  the  conveyance  of  the  entire  troup,  includ 
ing  the  orchestra,  with  their  instruments,  and  the  chorus, 
costumes,  scores,  and  properties  of  the  company.  It 
was  a  gigantic  scheme,  which  would  no  doubt  have  been 
pecuniarily  successful,  and  Mr.  Lumley  and  I  went  so 
far  as  to  draw  up  the  preliminaries  of  an  arrangement, 
in  which  I  was  to  share  a  due  proportion  of  the  profits 
for  my  assistance  in  the  management ;  but  after  a  while, 
and  to  the  evident  regret  of  Mr.  Lumley,  the  scheme 
was  given  up. 

Meanwhile,  I  was  by  no  means  idle.  Cordelia 
Howard  as  "  Little  Eva,"  with  her  mother  as  the 
inimitable  "  Topsy,"  were  highly  successful  in  London 
and  other  large  cities,  while  General  Tom  Thumb, 
returning  after  so  long  an  absence,  drew  crowded  houses 
wherever  he  went.  These  were  strong  spokes  in  the 
wheel  that  was  moving  slowly  but  surely  in  the  effort 
to  get  me  out  of  debt,  and,  if  possible,  to  save  some 
portion  of  my  real  estate.  Of  course,  it  was  not  gener- 


428  ABEOAD  AGAIN. 

ally  known  that  I  had  any  interest  whatever  in  either  of 
these  exhibitions ;  if  it  had  been,  possibly  some  of  the 
clock  creditors  would  have  annoyed  me  ;  but  I  busied 
myself  in  these  and  in  other  ways,  working  industri 
ously  and  making  much  money,  which  I  constantly 

remitted  to  my  trusty  agent  at  home. 

-  [>a*;  -gfflGiliiW  /iK    i;iuil  iUo<f  f<r:ho  u- •;!]      ".uj    !V<..- 

,0-fliHof)  oj  fy>£>i[no  -mir  I  Jii^ii •.»;•./] 
'  ,--.r!,'joiiT  «'(&'}\\M.  Toll 'to  ryef^ujn 


fiodr  doiiiv/  f7rfisq<ao:)  i.^ocjr- 
'  '         "  ' 


mud  :i\L  ha*  <Iiih*  ttMift  /i 

lo  8sh.G£iiin(l'n<{  -jjh  «]J>  /n;il; 
t'IOO'fC     owb   f:   91£if&-  Of-feJT/7  1 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

IN  GERMANY. 

PROM  LONDON  TO  BADEN-BADEN  —  TROUBLE  IN  PARIS  —  STRASBOURG  —  SCENE 
IN  A  GERMAN  CUSTOM-HOUSE  —  A  TERRIBLE  BILL  — SIX  CENTS  WORTH  OF 
AGONY — GAMBLING  AT  BADEN-BADEN  —  SUICIDES  —  GOLDEN  PRICES  FOR 
THE  GENERAL  —  A  CALL  FROM  THE  KING  OF  HOLLAND  —  THE  GERMAN  SPAS 
—  HAMBURG,  EMS  AND  WIESBADEN  —  THE  BLACK  FOREST  ORCHESTRION 
MAKER — AN  OFFERED  SACRIFICE  —  THE  SEAT  OF  THE  ROTHSCHILDS  — 
DIFFICULTIES  IN  FRANKFORT — A  POMPOUS  COMMISSIONER  OF  POLICE  — 
RED-TAPE  —  AN  ALARM  —  HENRY  J.  RAYMOND  —  CALL  ON  THE  COMMIS 
SIONER —  CONFIDENTIAL  DISCLOSURES  —  HALF  OF  AN  ENTIRE  FORTUNE  IN 
AN  AMERICAN  RAILWAY  —  ASTOUNDING  REVELATIONS  —  DOWN  TH1  RHINE  — 
DEPARTURE  FOR  HOLLAND. 

AFTER  a  pleasant  and  successful  season  of  several 
weeks  in  London  and  in  the  provinces,  I  took  the  little 
General  into  Germany,  going  from  London  to  Paris  and 
from  thence  to  Strasbourg  and  Baden-Baden.  I  had  not 
been  in  Paris  since  the  times  of  King  Louis  Philippe, 
and  while  I  noticed  great  improvements  in  the  city,  in 
the  opening  of  the  new  boulevards  and  the  -erection  of 
noble  buildings,  I  could  see  also  with  sorrow  that  there 
was  less  personal  liberty  under  the  Emperor  Napoleon 
III.,  than  there  was  under  the  "  Citizen  King."  The 
custom-house  officials  were  overbearing  and  unne 
cessarily  rigid  in  their  exactions  ;  the  police  were  over- 
watchful  and  intolerant;  the  screws  were  turned  on 
everywhere.  I  had  a  lot  of  large  pictorial'  placards  of 
General  Tom  Thumb,  which  were  merely  in  transitu, 
as  I  wished  only  to  forward  them  to  Germany  to  be 
used  as  advertisements  of  the  forthcoming  exhibitions. 

20 


430  IN   GEllMANY. 

These  the  French  custom-house  officers  determined  to 
examine  in  detail,  and  when  they  discovered  that  one  of 
the  pictures  represented  the  General  in  the  costume  of 
the  First  Napoleon,  the  whole  of  the  bills  were  seized 
and  sent  to  the  Prefecture  of  Police.  I  was  compelled 
to  stay  three  days  in  Paris  before  I  could  convince  the 
Prefect  of  Police  that  there  was  no  treason  in  the  Tom 
Thumb  pictures.  I  was  very  glad  to  get  out  of  Paris 
with  my  baggage  and  taking  a  seat  in  the  express  train 
on  the  Paris  and  Strasbourg  railway  I  soon  forgot  my 
custom-house  annoyances. 

One  would  suppose  that  by  this  time  I  had  had 
enough  to  do  with  clocks  to  last  me  my  lifetime,  but 
passing  one  night  and  a  portion  of  a  day  at  Strasbourg, 
I  did  not  forget  or  fail  to  witness  the  great  church 
clock  which  is  nearly  as  famous  as  the  cathedral  itself. 
At  noon  precisely  a  mechanical  cock  crows ;  the  bell . 
strikes ;  figures  of  the  twelve  apostles  appear  and  walk 
in  procession ;  and  other  extraordinary  evidences  of 
wonderful  mechanical  art  are  daily  exhibited  by  this 
curious  old  clock. 

From  Strasbourg  we  went  to  Baden-Baden.  I  had 
been  abroad  so  much  that  I  could  understand  and  man 
age  to  speak  French,  but  I  had  never  been  in  Germany 
and  I  did  not  know  six  words  of  the  language  of  that 
country.  As  a  consequence,  I  dreaded  to  pass  the  cus 
tom-house  at  Kehl,  nearly  opposite  Strasbourg,  and 
the  first  town  on  the  German  border  at  that  point. 
"When  the  diligence  stopped  at  this  place  I  fairly 
trembled.  I  knew  that  I  had  no  baggage  which  was 
rightfully  subject  to  duty,  as  I  had  nothing  but  my 
necessary  clothing  and  the  package  of  placards  and 
lithographs  illustrating  the  General's  exhibitions.  This 


IN  GERMANY.  431 

was  the  package  which  had  given  me  so  much 
trouble  in  Paris,  and  as  the  official  was  examining  my 
trunks,  I  assured  him  in  French  that  I  had  nothing 
subject  to  duty  ;  but  he  made  no  reply  and  deliber 
ately  handled  every  article  in  my  luggage.  He  then 
cut  the  strings  to  the  large  packages  of  show  bills. 
I  asked  him,  in  French,  whether  he  understood  that 
language.  He  gave  a  grunt,  which  was  the  only 
audible  sound  I  could  get  out  of  him,  and  then  laid 
my  show  bills  and  lithographs  on  his  scales  as  if  to 
weigh  them.  I  was  almost  distracted,  when  an  Eng 
lish  gentleman  who  spoke  German,  kindly  offered  to 
act  as  my  interpreter. 

u  Please  to  tell  him,"  said  I,  "  that  those  bills  and 
lithographs  are  not  articles  of  commerce ;  that  they 
are  simply  advertisements." 

My  English  friend  did  as  I  requested;  but  it  was 
of  no  use ;  the  custom-house  officer  kept  piling  them 
upon  his  scales.  I  grew  more  excited. 

"  Please  tell  him  I  give  them  away,"  I  said.  The 
translation  of  my  assertion  into  German  did  not  help 
me  ;  a  double  grunt  from  the  functionary  was  the  only 
response.  Tom  Thumb,  meanwhile,  jumped  about  like 
a  little  monkey  for  he  was  fairly  delighted  at  my  worry 
and  perplexity.  Finally,  I  said  to  my  new  found  Eng 
lish  friend :  "  Be  good  enough  to  tell  the  officer  to 
keep  the  bills  if  he  wants  them,  and  that  I  will  not  pay 
duty  on  them  any  how." 

He  was  duly  informed  of  my  determination,  but  he 
was  immovable.  He  lighted  his  huge  Dutch  pipe,  got 
the  exact  weight,  and  marking  it  down,  handed  it 
to  a  clerk,  who  copied  it  on  his  book,  and  solemnly 
passed  it  over  to  another  clerk,  who  copied  it  on  still 


432  IN    GERMANY. 

another  book ;  a  third  clerk  then  took  it,  and  copied  it 
on  to  a  printed  bill,  the  size  of  a  half  letter  sheet,  which 
was  duly  stamped  in  red  ink  with  several  official  devi 
ces.  By  this  time  I  was  in  a  profuse  perspiration ;  and 
as  the  document  passed  from  clerk  to  clerk,  I  told  them 
they  need  not  trouble  themselves  to  make  out  a  bill  for 
I  would  not  pay  it;  they  would  get  no  duty  and  they 
might  keep  the  property. 

To  be  sure,  I  could  not  spare  the  placards  for  any 
length  of  time,  for  they  were  exceedingly  valuable  to  me 
as  advertisements  and  I  could  not  easily  have  duplicated 
them  in  Germany ;  but  I  was  determined  that  I  would 
not  pay  duties  on  articles  which  were  not  merchandise. 
Every  transfer,  therefore,  of  the  bill  to  a  new  clerk,  gave 
me  a  fresh  twinge,  for  I  imagined  that  every  clerk 
added  more  charges,  and  every  charge  was  a  tighter 
turn  to  the  vise  which  held  my  fingers.  Finally,  the 
last  clerk  defiantly  thrust  in  my  face  the  terrible  official 
document,  on  which  were  scrawled  certain  cabalistic 
characters,  signifying  the  amount  of  money  I  should  be 
forced  to  pay  to  the  German  government  before  I  could 
have  my  property.  I  would  not  touch  it;  but  resolved 
I  would  really  leave  my  packages  until  I  could  commu 
nicate  with  one  of  our  consuls  in  Germany,  and  I  said 
as  much  to  the  English  gentleman  who  had  kindly  inter 
preted  for  me. 

He  took  the  bill,  and  examining  it,  burst  into  a  loud 
laugh.  "  Why,  it  is  but  fifteen  kreutzers ! "  he  said. 

"How  much  is  that?"  I  asked,  feeling  for  the  gol 
den  sovereigns  in  my  pocket. 

"  Sixpence !  "  was  the  reply. 

I  was  astonished  and  delighted,  and  as  I  handed 
out  the  money,  I  begged  him  to  tell  the  officials  that 


IN  GERMANY.  433 

the  custom  house  charge  would  not  pay  the  cost  of 
the  paper  on  which  it  was  written.  But  this  was  a 
very  fair  illustration  of  sundry  red-tape  dealings  in 
other  countries  as  well  as  in  Germany. 

I  found  Baden  a  delightful  little  town,  cleaner  and 
neater  than  any  city  I  had  ever  visited.  I  learned  after 
wards  that  Mr.  Benazet,  the  lessee  of  the  kurasal  and 
gambling  house,  was  compelled  annually  to  expend 
large  sums  for  keeping  the  streets  and  public  places 
clean.  Indeed,  he  could  well  afford  to  do  so,  as  one 
would  readily  perceive  upon  witnessing  the  vast  amounts 
of  money  which  were  daily  lost  by  the  men  and  women 
of  nearly  all  nations,  upon  his  tables  of  roulette  and 
rouge  et  noir. 

The  town  has  all  the  characteristics  and  accompani 
ments  of  a  first-class  watering-place,  —  a  theatre,  pub 
lic  library,  and  several  very  fine  hotels.  The  springs 
are  presumed  to  be  the  inducements  which  draw  hun 
dreds  of  invalids  to  Baden-Baden  every  summer,  but  the 
gaming  tables  are  the  real  attractions  to  thousands  of 
far  weaker  persons  who  spend  the  entire  season  in 
gambling.  It  is  no  unusual  thing  to  see  ladies  sitting 
around  these  gaming  tables,  betting  their  silver  and  gold 
pieces,  until  they  lose  five  hundred  or  a  thousand 
dollars,  while  men  frequently  "  invest "  many  times 
these  amounts.  If  they  happen  to  be  winners,  they  are 
very  sure  to  be  tempted  to  try  again ;  and  thus  in  the 
long  run  succumb  to  the  "advantage"  which  is  given 
in  the  game  to  the  bankers  over  the  "  betters." 

The  games  open  at  eleven  o'clock  every  morning, 
Sundays  included,  and  close  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night. 
Players  have  been  known  to  sit  at  the  table,  without 
once  rising,  even  to  eat  or  to  drink,  through  the  entire 


434  IN  GERMANY. 

day  and  night  session.  Very  early  in  the  day,  however, 
many  a  player  finds  himself  penniless,  and,  in  such  case, 
if  he  does  not  step  to  some  quiet  place  and  blow  his 
brains  out,  the  proprietor  of  the  "  hell "  will  present  to 
him  money  enough  to  carry  him  at  least  fifty  miles  from 
Baden-Baden. 

A  few  days  before  my  arrival,  a  young  lady  hung  her 
self.  Indeed,  several  suicides  occur  in  all  the  German 
spas  every  year  from  the  one  cause  —  ruin  by  gambling  ; 
but  so  callous  do  the  players,  as  well  as  the  card-dealers 
become,  that  I  can  easily  credit  a  story  told  me  at 
Homburg,  the  greatest  gambling  place  in  Europe :  A 
Frenchman,  sitting  at  the  table  where  scores  of  others 
were  betting  their  money,  lost  his  last  sou,  and  imme 
diately  drew  a  razor  from  his  pocket  and  cut  his  throat. 
The  circumstance  was  scarcely  sufficient  to  induce  the 
players  to  raise  their  eyes  from  the  cards ;  —  it  was  a 
mere  incident,  an  episode  in  matters  more  important. 
A  sheet  was  thrown  over  the  body,  and  as  the  servants 
quietly  removed  the  corpse,  some  one  slipped  into 
the  vacated  chair,  the  dealer  crying  out  in  French, 
"  make  your  bets,  gentlemen,"  and  the  play  went  on  as 
usual. 

In  due  time,  when  our  preliminary  arrangements  were 
completed,  the  General's  attendants,  carriage,  ponies 
and  liveried  coachman  and  footmen  arrived  at  Baden- 
Baden  and  were  soon  seen  in  the  streets.  The  excite 
ment  was  intense  and  increased  from  day  to  day.  Sev 
eral  crowned  heads,  princes,  lords  and  ladies  who  were 
spending  the  season  at  Baden-Baden,  with  a  vast  num 
ber  of  wealthy  pleasure  seekers  and  travellers,  crowded 
the  saloon  in  which  the  General  exhibited  during  the 
entire  time  we  remained  in  the  place.  The  charges 


IN  GERMANY.  435 

for  admission  were  much  higher  than  had  been  demanded 
in  any  other  city. 

Some  time  before  I  left  America  I  received  several 
letters  from  a  young  man  residing  in  the  Black  Forest  in 
regard  to  a  wonderful  orchestrion  which  he  was  building 
and  which  he  wished  to  sell  or  send  to  me  for  exhibi 
tion.  When  he  saw  the  accounts  of  my  arrival  with 
Tom  Thumb  at  Baden-Baden,  he  announced  his  willing 
ness  to  bring  his  orchestrion  and  set  it  up  in  that  place 
so  that  I  could  see  and  hear  it.  His  letter  was  for 
warded  to  me  at  Frankfort  and  I  replied  that  my  engage 
ments  were  made  many  days  in  advance,  that  my  time 
was  invaluable,  but  that  if  he  would  have  his  orches 
trion  set  up  and  in  perfect  order  at  such  a  time  on  such 
a  day  I  would  be  there  promptly  to  see  it.  Arriving  at 
the  appointed  time,  I  found  that  he  had  not  completed 
his  work.  The  beautiful  case  wras  up,  but  the  interior 
was  unfinished.  I  was  much  disappointed,  but  not 
nearly  so  much  so  as  was  the  orchestrion  builder. 

"  Oh !  Mr.  Barnum,"  said  he,  "I  have  worked  with 
my  men  all  last  night  and  all  to-day  and  I  will  work  all 
night  again  and  have  it  in  readiness  to-morrow  morn 
ing.  If  you  will  only  stay,  I  will  go  down  on  my  knees 
to  you ;  yes,  Mr.  Barnum,  I  will  cut  off  one  of  my  fin 
gers  for  you,  if  you  will  only  wait." 

But  I  could  not  wait,  even  under  this  strong  and  cer 
tainly  extraordinary  inducement,  and  was  obliged  to 
return  to  my  engagements  without  hearing  the  orches 
trion,  which,  I  afterwards  learned,  was  sold  and  set  up 
in  St.  Petersburg. 

From  Baden-Baden  we  went  to  other  celebrated  Ger 
man  Spas,  including  Ems,  Homburg  and  Weisbaden. 

These  are  all  fashionable  gambling  as  well  as   vater- 
20* 


436  IN  GERMANY. 

ing  places,  and  during  our  visits  they  were  crowded 
with  visitors  from  all  parts  of  Europe.  Our  exhibitions 
were  attended  by  thousands  who  paid  the  same  high 
prices  that  were  charged  for  admission  at  Baden-Baden, 
and  at  Wiesbaden,  among  many  distinguished  persons, 
the  King  of  Holland  came  to  see  the  little  General. 
These  exhibitions  were  among  the  most  profitable  that 
had  ever  been  given,  and  I  was  able  to  remit  thousands 
of  dollars  to  my  agents  in  the  United  States  to  aid  in 
re-purchasing  my  real  estate  and  to  assist  in  taking  up 
such  clock  notes  as  were  offered  for  sale.  A  short  but 
very  remunerative  season  at  Frankfort-on-the-Maine,  the 
home  and  starting-place  of  the  great  house  of  the  Roths 
childs,  assisted  me  largely  in  carrying  out  these  pur 
poses. 

There  was  the  greatest  difficulty,  however,  in  getting 
permission  to  hold  our  exhibitions  in  Frankfort.  When 
I  applied  for  a  permit  at  the  office  of  the  Commissary 
of  Police,  I  was  told  that  office  hours  were  ended  for 
the  day,  and  that  the  chief  official,  who  alone  could  give 
me  the  permit,  had  gone  home  to  dinner.  As  I  was 
in  a  great  hurry  to  begin,  I  went  to  the  residence 
of  the  Commissary,  where  I  was  met  at  the  door  by 
a  gorgeously  arrayed  flunkey,  to  whom  I  stated  my 
business,  and  who  informed  me  that  I  could  on  no 
account  see  the  distinguished  official  till  dinner  was 
over. 

I  waited  one  hour  and  a  half  by  my  watch  for  that 
mighty  man  to  dine,  and  then  he  condescended  to  admit 
me  to  his  presence.  When  I  had  stated  my  business, 
he  demanded  to  know  why  I  had  not  applied  to  him  at 
his  office  in  the  proper  hours,  declaring  that  he  would 
do  no  business  with  me  at  his  house,  and  that  I  must 


IN  GERMANY.  437 

come  to  him  to-morrow.  I  went,  and  after  a  great  deal 
of  questioning  and  delay,  I  received  the  sought-for 
license  to  exhibit ;  but  I  have  never  seen  more  red-tape 
wound  up  on  a  single  reel.  All  my  men,  all  Tom 
Thumb's  attendants,  the  General  and  myself,  in  addition 
to  showing  our  passports,  were  obliged  to  register  ourj 
names,  ages,  occupations,  and  what  not,  in  a  huge  book, 
and  to  answer  all  sorts  of  questions.  At  last  we  were 
permitted  to  go,  and  we  opened  our  doors  to  the  throng 
that  came  to  see  the  General. 

But  a  day  or  two  after  our  exhibitions  began,  came  a 
messenger  with  a  command  that  I  should  appear  before 
the  Commissary  of  Police.  I  was  very  much  frightened, 
I  confess ;  I  was  sure  that  some  of  my  men  had  been 
doing  or  saying  something  which  had  offended  the 
authorities,  and  although  I  was  conscious  that  my  own 
conduct  had  been  circumspect,  I  started  for  the  police 
office  in  fear  and  trembling.  On  the  way,  I  met  Mr. 
Henry  J.  Eaymond,  editor  of  the  New  York  Times ,  who 
was  in  company  with  a  gentleman  from  Ohio,  to  whom 
he  introduced  me,  and  thereupon  I  stated  my  trouble, 
and  my  opinion  that  I  was  about  to  be  fined,  imprisoned, 
possibly  beheaded,  —  I  knew  not  what. 

"Don't  be  alarmed,"  said  Mr.  Raymond,  "we  will 
keep  an  eye  on  the  proceedings,  and  if  you  get  into 
trouble  we  will  try  to  get  you  out.' 

Arriving  at  head-quarters,  I  was  solemnly  shown  into 
the  private  office  of  the  Commissary  who  asked  me  to  be 
seated,  and  then  rose  and  locked  the  door.  This  move 
ment  was  by  no  means  calculated  to  calm  my  agitation, 
and  I  at  once  exclaimed,  in  the  best  French  I  could 
summon  : 

"  Sir,  I  demand  an  interpreter." 


438  IN  GERMANY. 

"  We  do  not  need  one,"  he  replied  ;  "  I  can  under 
stand  your  French,  and  you  can  understand  mine  ;  I 
wish  to  consult  you  confidentially  on  a  very  private 
matter,  and  one  that  concerns  me  deeply." 

Somewhat  reassured  at  this  remarkable  announce 
ment,  I  begged  him  to  proceed,  which  he  did  as  follows  : 

"  Do  not  be  uneasy,  sir,  as  this  matter  wholly  affects 
me  ;  I  must  state  to  you  in  entire  secrecy  that  the  half  of 
my  whole  fortune  is  invested  in  the  bonds  of  one  of  your 
American  railways  (giving  me  the  name  of  the  road), 
arid  as  I  have  received  no  interest  for  a  long  time  I  am 
naturally  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  my  property.  I  wish 
to  know  if  the  road  is  good  for  anything,  and  if  so, 
why  the  interest  on  the  bonds  is  not  paid." 

I  was  happy  to  tell  him  that  I  had  met  that  very  morn 
ing  a  gentleman  from  Ohio  who  was  well  acquainted 
with  the  condition  of  this  road,  which  was  in  his  vicinity 
at  home,  and  that  I  would  speedily  derive  from  him  the 
desired  information.  The  Commissary  overwhelmed  me 
with  profuse  thanks,  adding  :  "  Remember,  the  half  of 
my  entire  fortune  is  at  stake." 

Impressed  with  the  magnitude  of  the  loss  he  might 
be  called  upon  to  suffer,  I  ventured,  as  I  was  going  out, 
to  ask  him  the  amount  of  his  investment. 

"  Four  thousand  dollars,"  was  the  reply. 

When  I  thought  of  his  livened  lackeys,  his  house,  his 
style,  his  dignity,  and  his  enormous  consequence,  I  could 
not  but  smile  to  think  that  all  these  things  were  sup 
ported  on  his  small  salary  and  an  "  entire  "  fortune  of 
$8,000,  one-half  of  which  was  invested  in  the  bonds  of 
a  doubtful  American  railway  company. 

We  exhibited  at  Mayence  and  several  other  places  in 
the  vicinity,  reaping  golden  harvests  everywhere,  and 


IN  GERMANY.  439 

then  went  down  the  Ehine  to  Cologne.  The  journey 
down  the  river  was  very  pleasant  and  we  duly  "  did " 
the  scenery  and  lions  on  the  way.  The  boats  were  very 
ill-provided  with  sleeping,  accommodations,  and  one 
night,  as  I  saw  our  party  must  sit  up,  I  suggested  that 
we  should  play  a  social  game  of  euchre  if  we  could  get 
the  cards.  The  clerk  of  the  boat  was  prompt  in 
affording  the  gratifying  intelligence  that  he  had  cards 
to  sell  and  I  bought  a  pack,  paying  him  a  good  round 
price.  Immediately  thereafter,  the  clerk,  pocketing  the 
money,  stated  that  "  it  was  nine  o'clock  and  according  to 
the  regulations  he  must  turn  out  all  the  lights  " — which 
he  did,  leaving  us  to  play  cards,  if  we  wished  to,  in  the 
dark. 

The  slowness  of  the  boat  was  a  great  annoyance  and 
on  one  occasion  I  said  to  the  captain : 

"  Look  here  !  confound  your  slow  old  boat.  I  have 
a  great  mind  to  put  on  an  opposition  American  line  and 
burst  up  your  business." 

He  knew  me.  and  knew  something  of  Yankee  enter 
prise,  and  he  was  evidently  alarmed,  but  a  thought  came 
to  his  relief: 

"  You  cannot  do  it,"  he  triumphantly  exclaimed ; 
"  the  government  will  not  permit  you  to  run  more  than 
nine  miles  an  hour." 

We  remained  at  Cologne  only  long  enough  to  visit 
the  famous  cathedral  and  to  see  other  curiosities  and 
works  of  art,  and  then  pushed  on  to  Rotterdam  and 
Amsterdam. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

IN  HOLLAND. 

THE  FINEST  AND  FLATTEST  COUNTRY  IN  THE  WORLD  —  SUPER-CLEANLINESS  — ' 
HABITS  AND  CUSTOMS  —  "  KREMIS  " — THE  ALBINO  FAMILY  —  THE  HAGUE  — 
AUGUST  BELMONT  —  JAPANESE  MUSEUM  —  MANUFACTURED  FABULOUS  ANIMALS 

—  A    GENEROUS    OFFER  —  VALUABLE    PICTURES  —  AN     ASTONISHED     SUPERIN 
TENDENT —  BACK    TO    ENGLAND  —  EXHIBITIONS    IN   MANCHESTER — I    RETURN 

-AGAIN  TO  AMERICA  —  FUN  ON  THE  VOYAGE  —  MOCK  TRIALS  —  BARNUM  AS 
A  PROSECUTOR  AND  AS  A  PRISONER  —  COLD  SHOULDERS  IN  NEW  YORK  — 
PREPARING  TO  MOVE  INTO  MY  OLD  HOME  —  CARELESS  PAINTERS  AND  CAR 
PENTERS —  IRANISTAN  BURNED  TO  THE  GROUND — NEXT  TO  NO  INSURANCE 

—  SALE   OF   THE  PROPERTY  —  ELIAS  HOWE,   JR. 

HOLLAND  gave  me  more  genuine  satisfaction  than 
any  other  foreign  country  I  have  ever  visited,  if  I  except 
Great  Britain.  Redeemed  as  a  large  portion  of  the  whole 
surface  of  the  land  has  been  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
by  the  wonderful  dykes,  which,  are  monuments  of  the 
industry  of  whole  generations  of  human  beavers,  Hol 
land  seems  to  me  the  most  curious  as  well  as  interesting 
country  in  the  world.  The  people,  too,  with  their 
quaint  costumes,  their  extraordinary  cleanliness,  their 
thrift,  industry  and  frugality,  pleased  me  very  much.  It 
is  the  universal  testimony  of  all  travellers  that  the  Hol 
landers  are  the  neatest  and  most  economical  people 
among  all  nations.  So  far  as  cleanliness  is  concerned, 
in  Holland  it  is  evidently  not  next  to,  but  far  ahead  of 
godliness.  It  is  rare,  indeed,  to  meet  a  ragged,  dirty, 
or  drunken  person.  The  people  are  very  temperate  and 
economical  ip  their  habits  ;  and  even  the  very  rich,  —  and 


IN  HOLLAND.  441 

there  is  a  vast  amount  of  wealth  in  the  country  —  live 
with  great  frugality,  though  all  of  the  people  live  well. 

As  for  the  scenery  I  cannot  say  much  for  it,  since  it 
is  only  diversified  by  thousands  of  windmills,  which  are 
made  to  do  all  kinds  of  work,  from  grinding  grain  to 
pumping  water  from  the  inside  of  the  dykes  back  to  the 
sea  again.  As  I  exhibited  the  General  only  in  Rotter 
dam  and  Amsterdam,  and  to  no  great  profit  in  either 
city,  we  spent  most  of  our  time  in  rambling  about  to 
see  what  was  to  be  seen.  In  the  country  villages  it 
seemed  as  if  every  house  was  scrubbed  twice  and  white 
washed  once  every  day  in  the  week,  excepting  Sunday. 
Some  places  were  almost  painfully  pure,  and  I  was  in 
one  village  where  horses  and  cattle  were  not  allowed  to 
go  through  the  streets,  and  no  one  was  permitted  to  wear 
their  boots  or  shoes  in  the  houses.  There  is  a  general 
and  constant  exercise  of  brooms,  pails,  floor  brushes  and 
mops  all  over  Holland,  and  in  some  places  even,  this 
kind  of  thing  is  carried  so  far,  I  am  told,  that  the  only 
trees  set  out  are  scrub-oaks. 

The  reason,  I  think,  why  our  exhibitions  were  not 
more  successful  in  Rotterdam  and  Amsterdam,  is  that 
the  people  are  too  frugal  to  spend  much  money  for 
amusement,  but  they  and  their  habits  and  ways  afforded 
us  so  much  amusement,  that  we  were  quite  willing  they 
should  give  our  entertainment  the  "  go  by,"  as  they  gen- 
•e*aliy  did.  We  were  in  Amsterdam  at  the  season  of 
"  Kremis,"  or  the  annual  Fair  which  is  held  in  all  the 
principal  towns,  and  where  shows  of  all  descriptions  are 
open,  at  prices  for  admission  ranging  from  one  to  five 
pennies,  and  are  attended  by  nearly  the  whole  popula 
tion.  For  the  people  generally,  this  one  great  holiday 
seems  all-sufficient  for  the  whole  year.  I  went  through 


44:2  IN  HOLLAND. 

scores  of  booths,  where  curiosities  and  monstrosities  of 
all  kinds  were  exhibited,  and  was  able  to  make  some 
purchases  and  engagements  for  the  American  Museum. 
Among  these,  was  the  Albino  family,  consisting  of  a 
man,  his  wife,  and  son,  who  were  by  far  the  most  inter 
esting  and  attractive  specimens  of  their  class  I  had  ever 
seen. 

We  visited  the  Hague,  the  capital  and  the  finest  city 
in  Holland.  It  is  handsomely  and  regularly  laid  out, 
and  contains  a  beautiful  theatre,  a  public  picture-gallery, 
which  contains  some  of  the  best  works  of  Vandyke, 
Paul  Potter,  and  other  Dutch  masters,  while  the  museum 
is  especially  rich  in  rarities  from  China  and  Japan. 
When  we  arrived  at  the  Hague,  Mr.  August  Belmont, 
who  had  been  the  United  States  Minister  at  that  court, 
had  just  gone  home  ;  but  I  heard  many  encomiums 
passed  upon  him  and  his  family,  and  I  was  told  some 
pretty  good  stories  of  his  familiarity  with  the  king,  and 
of  the  "jolly  times  "'these  two  personages  frequently 
enjoyed  together.  I  did  not  miss  visiting  the  great  gov 
ernment  museum,  as  I  wished  particularly  to  see  the  rich 
collection  of  Japan  ware  and  arms,  made  during  the 
many  years  when  the  Dutch  carried  on  almost  exclu 
sively  the  entire  foreign  trade  with  the  Japanese.  I 
spent  several  days  in  minutely  examining  these  curious 
manufactures  of  a  people,  who  were  then  almost  as 
little  known  to  nations  generally  as  are  the  inhabitants 
of  the  planet  Jupiter. 

On  the  first  day  of  my  visit  to  this  museum,  I  stood 
for  an  hour  before  a  large  case  containing  a  most 
unique  and  extraordinary  collection  of  fabulous  animals, 
made  from  paper  and  other  materials,  and  looking  as 
natural  and  genuine  as  the  stuffed  skins  of  any  animals 


IN  HOLLAND.  443 

in  the  American  Museum.  There  were  serpents  two 
yards  long,  with  a  head  and  pair  of  feet  at  each  end ; 
frogs  as  large  as  a  man,  with  human  hands  and  feet ; 
turtles  with  three  heads ;  monkeys  with  two  heads  and 
six  legs;  scores  of  equally  curious  monstrosities  ;  and  at 
least  two  dozen  mermaids,  of  all  sorts  and  sizes.  Look 
ing  at  these  "  sirens  "  I  easily  divined  from  whence  the 
Fejee  mermaid  originated. 

While  I  was  standing  near  this  remarkable  cabinet 
the  superintendent  of  the  Museum  came,  and,  introduc 
ing  himself  to  me,  asked  me  from  what  country  I  came 
and  how  I  liked  the  Museum.  I  told  him  that  I  was 
an  American  and  that  the  collection  was  interesting  and 
remarkable,  adding : 

"  You  seem  to  have  a  great  variety  of  mermaids  here." 

"  Yes,"  he  replied ;  "  the  Japanese  exercise  great 
ingenuity  in  manufacturing  fabulous  animals,  especially 
mermaids  ;  and  by  the  way,"  he  added,  "  your  great 
showman,  Barnum,  is  said  to  have  succeeded  in  hum 
bugging  the  Americans  to  a  very  considerable  extent, 
by  means  of  what  he  claimed  to  be  a  veritable  mer 
maid." 

I  said  that  such  was  the  story,  though  I  believed  that 
Barnum  only  used  the  mermaid  as  an  advertisement  for 
his  Museum. 

"  Perhaps  so,"  responded  the  superintendent,  "  but 
he  is  a  shrewd  and  industrious  manager.  We  have  had 
frequent  applications  from  his  European  agents  for 
duplicates  from  our  collection  and  have  occasionally 
sold  some  to  them  to  be  sent  to  America." 

The  superintendent  then  politely  asked  me  to  go  into 
his  office,  as  he  had  something  to  offer  me,  which,  as 
an  American  gentleman,  he  was  sure  I  would  prize 


444  IN  HOLLAND. 

Highly  ,-  but  the  business  was  of  a  strictly  confidential 
character.  He  asked  me  to  be  seated,  and  cautiously 
locking  the  door  and  drawing  his  chair  near  to  mine,  he 
informed  me  in  a  tone  scarcely  above  a  whisper  that 
he  was  the  executor  of  the  estate  of  a  wealthy  gentle 
man,  recently  deceased,  with  power  to  dispose  of  tho 
property,  which  included  a  large  number  of  exceedingly 
valuable  ancient  and  modern  paintings. 

"  You  must  be  well  aware,"  he  continued,  "  that  my 
countrymen  would  be  extremely  unwilling  to  permit 
these  precious  specimens  of  art  to  leave  Holland,  but," 
and  here  he  gave  my  hand  a  slight  but  most  friendly 
squeeze,  "  I  have  such  a  high  respect,  I  might  almost 
say  reverence  for  your  great  republic  that  I  am  only 
too  happy  in  the  opportunity  now  afforded  me  of  allow 
ing  you  to  take  a  very  few  of  these  fine  paintings  to 
America  at  an  unprecedentedly  low  price." 

I  thought  he  was  a  little  too  generous,  and  I  gave 
him  what  the  Irishman  called  an  "  evasive  answer ;"  but 
this  only  seemed  to  stimulate  him  to  further  efforts  to 
effect  a  sale,  —  so  he  turned  to  his  memorandum  book 
and  pointed  out  the  names  of  gentlemen  from  Boston, 
Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  New  Orleans,  who  had 
ordered  one  or  more  cases  from  this  large  gallery  of 
paintings.  This  exhibition  was  conclusive,  and  I  at 
once  said  that  I  would  not  decide  to  purchase  till  I 
returned  from  Amsterdam.  I  quite  understood  the 
whole  thing ;  but  not  to  leave  my  anxious  friend  toe 
long  in  suspense  I  quietly  handed  my  card  to  him, 
remarking,  "Perhaps  you  have  heard  of  that  name 
before." 

His  cheeks  were  fairly  crimson  ;  "  surely,"  said  he, 
"  you  a.re  not  Mr.  Barnum,  of  the  New  York  Museum  ? " 


IN   HOLLAND.  445 

*  Nobody  else,"  I  replied  with  a  laugh. 

He  stammered  out  an  apology  for  his  mermaid 
remarks,  but  I  patted  him  on  the  shoulder  in  a  friendly 
way,  telling  him  it  was  "  all  right,"  and  that  I  considered 
it  a  capital  joke.  This  re-assured  him  and  we  then  had 
a  very  pleasant  half-hour's  conversation,  in  which  he 
gave  me  several  valuable  hints  of  curiosities  to  be  pro 
cured  at  the  Hague  and  elsewhere  in  Holland,  and  we 
parted  good  friends. 

A  week  afterwards,  a  young  gentleman  from  Boston 
introduced  himself  to  me  at  Amsterdam  and  remarked 
that  he  knew  I  was  there  for  he  had  been  so 
informed  by  the  museum  superintendent  at  the  Hague. 
"  And,  by  the  by,"  he  added,  "  as  soon  as  this  superin* 
tendent  discovered  I  was  from  America,  he  told  me  if  I 
would  go  into  his  office  he  would  show  me  the  greatest 
curiosity  in  the  Museum.  I  went,  and  he  pointed  to  the 
card  of  '  P.  T.  Barnum '  which  he  had  conspicuously 
nailed  up  over  his  desk ;  he  then  told  me  about  your 
visit  to  the  museum  last  week." 

"  Did  he  sell  you  any  paintings  VI  asked. 

"  No,"  was  the  reply ;  "  but  he  informed  me  that  as 
executor  of  an  estate,  including  a  fine  gallery,  he  could 
sell  me  a  few  cases  at  a  very  low  price,  mainly  on 
account  of  his  high  regard  for  the  great  republic  to 
which  I  belonged." 

I  have  no  doubt  that  this  estate  is  still  unsettled, 
and  that  a  few  of  the  valuable  paintings,  if  cheap 
Dutch  artists  keep  up  the  supply,  are  still  for  sale  to 
the  public  generally,  and  to  representatives  of  the 
revered  republic  especially.  Undoubtedly  this  kind  of 
business  will  continue  so  long  as  Waterloo  relics  are 
manufactured  at  Birmingham,  and  are  sent  to  be 


4'±  >  IN    HOLLAND. 

plowed  in  and  dug  up  again  on  the  memorable  field 
where  Wellington  met  Napoleon.  And  how  many 
very  worthy  persons  there  are,  like  the  superintendent 
of  the  Hague  Museum,  who  have  been  terribly  shocked 
at  the  story  of  the  Fejee  Mermaid  and  the  Woolly 
Horse ! 

After  a  truly  delightful  visit  in  Holland,  we  went 
back  to  England ;  and,  proceeding  to  Manchester,  opened 
our  exhibition.  For  several  days  the  hall  was  crowded 
to  overflowing  at  each  of  the  three,  and  sometimes  four, 
entertainments  we  gave  every  day.  By  this  time,  my 
wife  and  two  youngest  daughters  had  come  over  to 
London,  and  I  hired  furnished  lodgings  in  the  suburbs 
where  they  could  live  within  the  strictest  limits  of 
economy.  It  was  necessary  now  for  me  to  return  for 
a  few  weeks  to  America,  to  assist  personally  in  forward 
ing  a  settlement  of  the  clock  difficulties.  So  leaving 
the  little  General  ia  the  hands  of  trusty  and  competent 
agents  to  carry  on  the  exhibitions  in  rny  absence,  I  set 
my  face  once  more  towards  home  and  the  west,  and  took 
steamer  at  Liverpool  for  New  York. 

The  trip,  like  most  of  the  passages  which  I  have 
made  across  the  Atlantic,  was  an  exceedingly  pleasant 
one.  These  frequent  voyages  were  to  me  the  rests,  the 
reliefs  from  almost  unremitting  industry,  anxiety,  and 
care,  and  I  always  managed  to  have  more  or  less  fun 
on  board  slyp  every  time  I  crossed  the  ocean.  During 
the  present  trip,  for  amusement  and  to  pass  away  the 
time,  the  passengers  got  up  a  number  of  mock  trials 
which  afforded  a  vast  deal  of  fun.  A  judge  was 
selected,  jurymen  drawn,  prisoners  arraigned,  counsel 
employed,  and  all  the  formalities  of  a  court  established. 
I  have  the  vanity  to  think  that  if  my  good  fortune  had 


IN  HOLLAND.  447 

directed  me  to  that  profession  I  should  have  made  a 
very  fair  lawyer,  for  I  have  always  had  a  great  fondness 
for  debate  and  especially  for  the  cross-examination  of 
witnesses,  unless  that  witness  was  P.  T.  Barnum  in 
examination  under  supplementary  proceedings  at  the 
instance  of  some  note-shaver  who  had  bought  a  clock 
note  at  a  discount  of  thirty-six  per  cent.  In  this  mock 
court,  I  was  unanimously  chosen  as  prosecuting  attor 
ney,  and  as  the  court  was  established  expressly  to  con 
vict,  I  had  no  difficulty  in  carrying  the  jury  and  secur 
ing  the  punishment  of  the  prisoner.  A  small  fine  was 
generally  imposed,  and  the  fund  thus  collected  was 
given  to  a  poor  sailor  boy  who  had  fallen  from  the  mast 
and  broken  his  leg. 

After  several  of  these  trials  had  been  held,  a  dozen 
or  more  of  the  passengers  secretly  put  their  heads 
together  and  resolved  to  place  the  ' '  showman  "  on  trial 
for  his  life.  An  indictment  covering  twenty  pages  was 
drawn  up  by  several  legal  gentlemen  among  the  passen 
gers,  charging  him  with  being  the  Prince  of  Humbugs, 
and  enumerating  a  dozen  special  counts,  containing 
charges  of  the  most  absurd  and  ridiculous  description. 
Witnesses  were  then  brought  together,  and  privately 
instructed  what  to  say  and  do.  Two  or  three  days 
were  devoted  to  arranging  this  mighty  prosecution. 
When  everything  was  ready,  I  was  arrested,  and  the 
formidable  indictment  read  to  me.  I  saw  at  a 
glance  that  time  and  talent  had  been  brought  into 
requisition,  and  that  my  trial  was  to  be  more  elaborate 
than  any  that  had  preceded  it.  I  asked  for  half  a$ 
hour  to  prepare  for  my  defence,  which  was  granted. 
Meanwhile,  seats  were  arranged  to  accommodate  the 
court  and  spectators,  and  extra  settees  were  placed  for 


448  IN  HOLLAND. 

the  ladies  on  the  upper  deck,  where  they  could  look 
down,  see  and  hear  all  that  transpired.  Curiosity  was 
on  tip-toe,  for  it  was  evident  that  this  was  to  be  a 
long,  exciting  and  laughable  trial.  At  the  end  of  half 
an  hour  the  judge  was  on  the  bench,  the  jury  had 
taken  their  places ;  the  witnesses  were  ready ;  the 
counsel  for  the  prosecution,  four  in  number,  with  pens, 
ink,  and  paper  in  profusion,  were  seated  and  everything 
seemed  ready.  I  was  brought  in  by  a  special  constable, 
the  indictrqent  read,  and  I  was  asked  to  plead  guilty,  or 
not  guilty  .  I  rose,  and  in  a  most  solemn  manner  stated 
that  I  could  not  conscientiously  plead  guilty  or  not 
guilty ;  that  I  had  in  fact  committed  many  of  the  acts 
charged  in  the  indictment,  but  these  acts  I  was  ready 
to  show  were  not  criminal,  but  on  the  contrary,  worthy 
of  praise.  My  plea  was  received  and  the  first  witness 
called. 

He  testified  to  having  visited  the  prisoner's  Museum, 
and  of  being  humbugged  by  the  Fejee  Mermaid;  the 
nurse  of  Washington  ;  and  by  other  curiosities,  natural 
and  unnatural.  The  questions  and  answers  having  been 
all  arranged  in  advance,  everything  worked  smoothly. 
Acting  as  my  own  counsel,  I  cross-examined  the  witness 
by  simply  asking  whether  he  saw  anything  else  in 
the  Museum  besides  what  he  had  mentioned. 

"  Oh !  yes,  I  saw  thousands  of  other  things." 

"  Were  they  curious  ?  " 

"  Certainly ;  many  of  them  very  astonishing." 

"  Did  you  witness  a  dramatic  representation  in  the 
Museum  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir,  a  very  good  one." 

"  What  did  you  pay  for  all  this  I " 

"  Twenty-five  cents." 


IN  HOLLAND.  449 

"  That  will  do,  sir ;  you  can  step  down." 

A  second,  third  and  fourth  witness  were  called,  and 
the  examination  was  similar  to  the  foregoing.  Another 
witness  then  appeared  to  testify  in  regard  to  another 
count  in  the  indictment.  He  stated  that  for  several 
weeks  he  was  the  guest  of  the  prisoner  at  his  country 
residence,  Iranistan,  and  he  gave  a  most  amusing 
description  of  the  various  schemes  and  contrivances 
which  were  there  originated  for  the  purpose  of  being 
carried  out  at  some  future  day  in  the  Museum. 

"  How  did  you  live  there  ] "  asked  one  of  the  counsel 
for  the  prosecution. 

"  Very  well,  indeed,  in  the  daytime,"  was  the  reply ; 
"  plenty  of  the  best  to  eat  and  drink,  except  liquors. 
In  bed,  however,  it  was  impossible  to  sleep.  I  rose  the 
first  night,  struck  a  light,  and  on  examination  found 
myself  covered  with  myriads  of  little  bugs,  so  small  as 
to  be  almost  imperceptible.  By  using  my  microsope  I 
discovered  them  to  be  infantile  bedbugs.  After  the  first 
night  I  was  obliged  to  sleep  in  the  coach-house  in  order 
to  escape  this  annoyance." 

Of  course  this  elicited  much  mirth.  The  first  ques 
tion  put  on  the  cross-examination  was  this  : 

"  Are  you  a  naturalist,  sir  ? " 

The  witness  hesitated.  In  all  the  drilling  that  had 
taken  place  before  the  trial,  neither  the  counsel  nor  wit 
nesses  had  thought  of  what  questions  might  come  up  in 
the  cross-examination,  and  now,  not  seeing  the  drift  of 
question,  the  witness  seemed  a  little  bewildered,  and  the 
counsel  for  the  prosecution  looked  puzzled. 

The  question  was  repeated  with  some  emphasis. 

"  No,  sir !  "  replied  the  witness,  hesitatingly,  "  I  am 
not  a  naturalist." 


450  IN  HOLLAND. 

"  Then,  sir,  not  being  a  naturalist,  dare  you  affirm 
that  those  microscopic  insects  were  not  humbugs  instead 
of  bedbugs  "  —  (  here  the  prisoner  was  interrupted  by  a 
universal  shout  of  laughter,  in  which  the  solemn  judge 
himself  joined)  —  "and  if  they  were  humbugs,  I  sup 
pose  that  even  the  learned  counsel  opposed  to  me,  will 
not  claim  that  they  were  out  of  place  ?  " 

"  They  may  have  been  humbugs,"  replied  the  witness. 

"  That  will  do,  sir  —  you  may  go,"  said  I;  and  at  the 
same  time  turning  to  the  array  of  counsel,  I  remarked, 
with  a  smile,  "  You  had  better  have  a  naturalist  for  your 
next  witness,  gentlemen." 

"  Do  n't  be  alarmed,  sir,  we  have  got  one,  and  we  will 
now  introduce  him,"  replied  the  counsel. 
-  The  next  witness  testified  that  he  was  a  planter  from 
Georgia,  that  some  years  since  the  prisoner  visited  his 
plantation  with  a  show,  and  that  while  there  he  discov 
ered  an  old  worthless  donkey  belonging  to  the  planter, 
and  bought  him  for  five  dollars  —  the  next  year  the 
witness  visited  Iranistan,  the  country  seat  of  the  pris 
oner,  and,  while  walking  about  the  grounds,  his  old 
donkey,  recognizing  his  former  master,  brayed ;  "  where 
upon,"  continued  the  witness,  "  I  walked  up  to  the 
animal  and  found  that  two  men  were  engaged  in 
sticking  wool  upon  him,  and  this  animal  was  afterwards 
exhibited  by  the  prisoner  as  the  woolly  horse." 

The  whole  court  —  spectators,  and  even  the  "pris 
oner"  himself  were  convulsed  with  laughter  at  the 
gravity  with  which  the  planter  gave  his  very  ludicrous 
testimony. 

"  What  evidence  have  you,"  I  inquired,  "  that  this 
was  the  same  donkey  which  you  sold  to  me  ? " 

"The  fact  that  the  animal  recognized  me,  as  was 
evident  from  his  braying  as  soon  as  he  saw  me." 


IN  HOLLAND.  451 

. 

*  Are  you  a  naturalist,  sir  1 " 

"  Yes,  I  am,"  replied  the  planter,  with  firm  emphasis, 
as  much  as  to  say,  you  can't  catch  me  as  you  did  the 
other  witness. 

"Oh!  you  are  a  naturalist,  are  you?  Then,  sir,  I 
ask  you,  as  a  naturalist,  do  you  not  know  it  to  be  a  fact 
in  natural  history  that  one  jackass  always  brays  as  soon 
as  he  sees  another  ?" 

This  question  was  received  with  shouts  of  laughter, 
in  the  midst  of  which  the  nonplussed  witness  backed 
out  of  court,  and  all  the  efforts  of  special  constables, 
and  even  the  high  sheriff  himself,  were  unavailing  in 
getting  him  again  on  the  witness  stand. 

This  trial  lasted  two  days,  to  the  great  delight  of  all 
on  board.  After  my  success  with  the  "  naturalist "  not 
one  half  of  the  witnesses  would  appear  against  me.  In 
my  final  argument  I  sifted  the  testimony,  analyzed  its 
bearings,  ruffled  the  learned  counsel,  disconcerted  the 
witnesses,  flattered  the  judge  and  jury,  and  when  the 
judge  had  delivered  his  charge,  the  jury  acquitted 
me  without  leaving  their  seats.  The  judge  received  the 
verdict,  and  then  announced  that  he  should  fine  the 
naturalist  for  the  mistake  he  made,  as  to  the  cause  of 
the  donkey's  braying,  and  he  should  also  fine  the  several 
witnesses,  who,  through  fear  of  the  cross-fire,  had 
refused  to  testify. 

The  trial  afforded  a  pleasant  topic  of  conversation  for 
the  rest  of  the  voyage  ;  and  the  morning  before  arriving 
in  port,  a  vote  of  thanks  was  passed  to  me,  in  consid 
eration  of  the  amusement  I  had  intentionally  and 
unintentionally  furnished  to  the  passengers  during  the 
voyage. 

After  my  arrival  in  New  York,  oftentimes  in  passing 
21 


452  IN  HOLLAND. 

.CLXJUCEOH  TO 

up  and  down  Broadway  I  saw  ©Id  and  prosperous  friends 
coming,  but  before  I  came  anywhere  near  them,  if  they 
espied  me  "they  would  dodge  into  a  store,  or  across  the 
street,  or  opportunely  meet  some  one  with  whom  they 
had  pressing  business,  or  they  would  be  very  much 
interested  in  something  that  was  going  on  over  the  way 
or  on  top  of  the  City  Hall.  I  was  delighted  at  this,  for  it 
gave  me  at  once  a  new  sensation  and  a  new  experience. 
"Ah,  ha!"  I  said  to  myself;  "my  butterfly  friends,  I 
know  you  now ;  and  what  is  more  to  the  point,  if  ever 
I  get  out  of  this  bewilderment  of  broken  clock-wheels, 
I  shall  not  forget  you  " ;  and  I  heartily  thanked  the  old 
clock  concern  for  giving  me  the  opportunity  to  learn 
this  sad  but  most  needful  lesson.  I  had  a  very  few  of 
the  same  sort  of  experiences  in  Bridgeport,  and  they 
proved  valuable  to  me. 

Mr.  James  D.  Johnson,  of  Bridgeport,  one  of  my 
assignees,  who  had  written  to  me  that  my  personal  pres 
ence  might  facilitate  a  settlement  of  my  affairs,  told  me 
soon  after  my  arrival  that  there  was  no  probability  of  dis 
posing  of  Iranistan  at  present,  and  that  I  might  as  well 
move  my  family  into  the  house.  I  had  arrived  in  August 
and  my  family  followed  me  from  London  in  September, 
and  October  20,  1857,  my  second  daughter,  Helen,  was 
married  in  the  house  of  her  elder  sister,  Mrs.  D.  W. 
Thompson,  in  Bridgeport,  to  Mr.  Samuel  H.  Hurd. 

Meanwhile,  Iranistan  which  had  been  closed  and  unoc 
cupied  for  more  than  two  years,  was  once  more  opened 
to  the  carpenters  and  painters  whom  Mr.  Johnson  sent 
there  to  put  the  house  in  order.  He  agreed  with  me 
that  it  was  best  to  keep  the  property  as  long  as  possible, 
and  in  the  interval,  till  a  purchaser  for  the  estate 
appeared,  or  till  -it  was  forced  to  auction,  to  take  up  the 


IN  HOLLAND.  453 

clock  notes  whenever  they  were  offered.  The  workmen 
who  were  employed  in  the  house  were  specially  instructed 
not  to  smoke  there,  but  nevertheless  it  was  subsequently 
discovered  that  some  of  the  men  were  in  the  habit  occa 
sionally  of  going  into  the  main  dome  to  eat  their  dinners 
which  they  brought  with  them,  and  that  they  stayed 
there  awhile  after  dinner  to  smoke  their  pipes.  In  all 
probability,  one  of  these  lighted  pipes  was  left  on  the 
cushion  which  covered  the  circular  seat  in  the  dome  and 
ignited  the  tow  with  which  the  cushion  was  stuffed. 
It  may  have  been  days  and  even  weeks  before  this 
smouldering  tow  fire  burst  into  flame. 

I  was  staying  at  the  Astor  House,  in  New  York,  when, 
on  the  morning  of  December  18,  1857,  I  received  a 
telegram  from  my  brother  Phiio  F.  Barnum,  dated  at 
Bridgeport  and  informing  me  that  Iranistan  was  burned 
to  the  ground  that  morning,  The  alarm  was  given  at 
eleven  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  17th,  and  the  fire 
burned  till  one  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  18th. 
My  beautiful  Iranistan  was  gone !  This  was  not  only 
a  serious  loss  to  my  estate,  for  it  had  probably  cost  at 
least  $150,000,  but  it  was  generally  regarded  as  a  public 
calamity.  It  was  the  only  building  in  its  peculiar  style 
of  architecture,  of  any  pretension,  in  America,  and  many 
persons  visited  Bridgeport  every  year  expressly  to  see 
Iranistan.  The  insurance  on  the  mansion  had  usually 
been  about  $62,000,  but  I  had  let  some  of  the  policies 
expire  without  renewing  them,  so  that  at  the  time  of  the 
fire  there  was  only  $28,000  insurance  on  the  property. 
Most  of  the  furniture  and  pictures  were  saved,  generally 
in  a  damaged  state. 

Subsequently,  my  assignees  sold  the  grounds  and  out 
houses  of  Iranistan  to  the  late  Elias  Howe,  Jr.,  the  eel- 


454  IN  HOLLAND. 

ebrated  inventor  of  the  needle  for  sewing-machines. 
The  property  brought  $50,000,  which,  with  the  $28,000 
insurance,  went  into  my  assets  to  satisfy  clock  creditors. 
It  was  Mr.  Howe's  intention  to  erect  a  splendid  mansion 
on  the  estate,  but  his  untimely  and  lamented  death  pre 
vented  the  fulfilment  of  the  plan.  The  estate  (in  1869) 
was  to  be  divided  among  Mr.  Howe's  three  children  and 
in  all  probability  three  houses  will  be  built  upon  the 
beautiful  grounds, 
.IvjftfKte  &$7f  noiif?.  r?o  oaf  ibhi'/r  iftrc  -«&j)  '•;;'  I 

ahlj     SKvi'xJ    tdwif    1IOV3    JjiLG    fcVfi'b    fl'J'it'    OYJ.ii         :    t     3.i 

.qimjfi:  olui  j^ur.!  -rut  v/T't  ^ifh  -/f'fiv 
,11'jrlY/  liloY  Y/oVI  m  jOai/oIl  loJaA  :.H{J  1.'-:  ^fir/;i;j<  ; 

I   JoBI  ,8f    I'x 
rniJinjif[  .1  oliil'I 


dBY/1  un 

ifi  bfui  jiltTf   oilJ  lo  jil^rci    >fa  no   sl:»<;I-iV- 
'oilt   'io  .uiii'iuni  OiiJ  iio   jloolo  o  ono  ;!it   lj'jir!j 


i'[  J:>i;i[  ji  lol  colj;J20  (in  ol  *aaol  feuu.'j 
,rr;.  Ylfo-io'ji'j™  gf;w 'I;  Jacf  .000{0of>'  , 
9l(ie  xBilu^q  3^1  JU  ^aiblh^i  (fau  arf)  gr///  jT    ./Jini 
/iumi  baij  f^ah9fa/v;  0rfflohaoJoi'{  Yfrr;  >o  :-jr;j  ">»;ii, 

•(Ilunjsn  b^ii  aoic;mm_  o.iij  no  fjoinjifr^iu  odT     .in^i? 
aohiloq  o/Ii  lo  omoa  tof  Iwiif  1  tad  ?000:-i:^   tno.d/;  i 

*.  *'   i\/\/\  ' a  *  ?Lt        *  -^  f> 

iio  9'}finiir?tni  UUUrOs    •  yiiio  r^./^  oi.Jiii 


nteiuml  to  ? 


YSIsIOM  rtIO  T3A  SliT  0« 


HO  3 


i  --i!     !    if-    ,7'3jjom   :Uo[  ovml  u'.m  hi;;  oo  I  i«fO 
jr    ;-,.j:-i;.fa   'lo    -/Jlirotfl    oil!    bos^ 

ti;dt     Ofll 

CHAPTER     XXXI. 

fif    •<  MijjVjoI  oil)  .««^h«ji^1nt?  ^ni^ia-T00om  Jtoig  -jad^o 

THE  AET  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

«A.CK  OXCE  MORE  TO  ENGLAND  —  TOUIt  THROUGH  SCOTLAND  AND  WALES  —  HOTY 
I  CAME  TO  LECTURE  —  ADVICE  OF  MY  FRIENDS  —  MY  LECTURE  —  HOW  TO  MAKE 
MONEY  AND  HOW  TO  KEEP  IT  —  WHAT  THE  PAPERS  SAID  ABOUT  ME  —  PRAISE  OF 
THE  LONDON  PRESS  —  LECTURING  IN  THE  PROVINCES  —  PERFORMANCES  AT 
CAMBRIDGE  —  CALL  FOR  JOICE  HETH  —  EXTRAORDINARY  FUN  AT  OXFORD 

—  THE    AUDIENCE  AND    LECTURER    TAKING    TURNS  —  A    UNIVERSITY  BREAK 
FAST  —  MAGNIFICENT  OFFER  FOR  A  COPYRIGHT  —  SUCCESS  OF  MY  ENTERPRISE 

—  MORE  MONEY  FOR  THE   CLOCK  CREDITORS. 

SEEING  the  necessity  of  making  more  money  to 
assist  in  extricating  me  from  my  financial  difficulties, 
and  leaving  my  affairs  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  James  D. 
Johnson-  —  my  wife  and  youngest  daughter,  Pauline, 
boarding  with  my  eldest  daughter,  Mrs.  Thompson,  in 
Bridgeport  —  early  in  1858,  I  went  back  to  England, 
and  took  Tom  Thumb  to  all  the  principal  places  in 
Scotland  and  Wales,  giving  many  exhibitions  and  mak 
ing  much  money  which  was  remitted,  as  heretofore,  to 
my  agents  and  assignees  in  America. 

Finding,  after  a  while,  that  my  personal  attention 
was  not  needed  in  the  Tom  Thumb  exhibitions  and 
confiding  him  almost  wholly  to  agents  who  continued 
the  tour  through  Great  Britain,  under  my  general 
advice  and  instruction,  1  turned  my  individual  atten 
tion  to  a  new  field.  At  the  suggestion  of  several  Amer 
ican  gentlemen,  resident  in  London,  I  prepared  a 
lecture  on  "  The  Art  of  Money-Getting."  I  told  my 
friends  that,  considering  my  clock  complications,  I 


456  THE  AET  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

thought  I  was  more  competent  to  speak  on  "  The  Art 
of  Money  Losing  " ;  but  they  encouraged  me  by  remind 
ing  me  that  I  could  not  have  lost  money,  if  I  had 
not  previously  possessed  the  faculty  of  making  it. 
They  further  assured  me  that  my  name  having  been 
intimately  associated  with  the  Jenny  Lind  concerts  and 
other  great  money-making  enterprises,  the  lecture  would 
be  sure  to  prove  attractive  and  profitable. 

The  old  clocks  ticked  in  my  ear  the  reminder  that  I 
should  improve  every  opportunity  to  "  turn  an  honest 
penny,"  and  my  lecture  was  duly  announced  for  delivery 
in  the  great  St.  James'  Hall,  Eegent  Street,  Picca 
dilly.  It  was  thoroughly  advertised  —  a  feature  I  never 
neglected  —  and,  at  the  appointed  time,  the  hall,  which 
would  hold  three  thousand  people,  was  completely  filled, 
at  prices  of  three  and  two  shillings,  (seventy-five  and 
fifty  cents,)  per  seat,  according  to  location.  It  was  the 
evening  of  December  29,  1858.  Since  my  arrival  in 
Great  Britain  the  previous  spring,  I  had  spent  months 
in  travelling  with  General  Tom  Thumb,  and  now  I  was 
to  present  myself  in  a  new  capacity  to  the  English  pub 
lic  as  a  lecturer.  I  could  see  in  my  audience  all  my 
American  friends  who  had  suggested  this  effort;  all  my 
theatrical  and  literary  friends ;  and  as  I  saw  several  gen 
tlemen  whom  I  knew  to  be  connected  with  the  leading 
London  papers,  I  felt  sure  that  my  success  or  failure 
would  be  duly  chronicled  next  morning.  There  was, 
moreover,  a  general  audience  that  seemed  eager  to  see 
the  "  showman  "  of  whom  they  had  heard  so  muc^i,  and 
to  catch  from  his  lips  the  "  art"  which,  in  times  past, 
had  contributed  so  largely  to  his  success  in  life.  Stimu 
lated  by  these  things,  I  tried  to  do  my  best,  and  I  think 
I  did  it.  The  following  is  the  lecture  substantially  as 


THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  457 

it  was  delivered,  though  it  was  interspersed  with  many 
anecdotes  and  illustrations  which  are  necessarily  omit 
ted;  and  I  should  add,  that  the  subjoined  copy  being 
adapted  to  the  meridian  in  which  it  has  been  repeatedly 
delivered,  contains  numerous  local  allusions  to  men  and 
matters  in  the  United  States,  which,  of  course,  did  not 
appear  in  the  original  draft  prepared  for  my  English 
audiences : 

THE    ART    OF    MONEY    GETTING. 

In  the  United  States,  where  we  have  more  land  than 
people,  it  is  not  at  all  difficult  for  persons  in  good 
health  to  make  money.  In  this  comparatively  new  field 
there  are  so  many  avenues  of  success  open,  so  many 
vocations  which  are  not  crowded,  that  any  person  of 
either  sex  who  is  willing,  at  least  for  the  time  being,  to 
engage  in  any  respectable  occupation  that  offers,  may 
find  lucrative  employment. 

Those  who  really  desire  to  attain  an  independence, 
have  only  to  set  their  minds  upon  it,  and  adopt  the  pro 
per  means,  as  they  do  in  regard  to  any  other  object 
which  they  wish  to  accomplish,  and  the  thing  is  easily 
done.  But  however  easy  it  may  be  found  to  make 
money,  I  have  no  doubt  many  of  my  hearers  will  agree 
it  is  the  most  difficult  thing  in  the  world  to  keep  it. 
The  road  to  wealth  is,  as  Dr.  Franklin  truly  says,  "  as 
plain  as  the  road  to  mill."  It  consists  simply  in  expend 
ing  less  than  we  earn ;  that  seems  to  be  a  very  simple 
problem.  Mr.  Micawber,  one  of  those  happy  creations 
of  the  genial  Dickens,  puts  the  case  in  a  strong  light 
when  he  says  that  to  have  an  income  of  twenty  pounds, 
per  annum,  and  spend  twenty  pounds  and  sixpence,  is 
to  %  the  most  miserable  of  men;  whereas,  to  have  an 


458  THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

income  of  only  twenty  pounds,  and  spend  but  nineteen 
pounds  and  sixpence,  is  to  be  the  happiest  of  mortals. 
Many  of  my  hearers  may  say,  "  we  understand  this  ;  this 
is  economy,  and  we  know  economy  is  wealth ;  we  know 
we  can't  eat  our  cake  and  keep  it  also."  Yet  I  beg  to 
say  that  perhaps  more  cases  of  failure  arise  from  mis 
takes  on  this  point  than  almost  any  other.  The  fact  is, 
many  people  think  they  understand  economy  when  they 
really  do  not. 

True  economy  is  misapprehended,  and  people  go 
through  life  without  properly  comprehending  what  that 
principle  is.  Some  say,  "  I  have  an  income  of  so  much, 
and  here  is  my  neighbor  who  has  the  same ;  yet  every 
year  he  gets  something  ahead  and  I  fall  short ;  why  is 
it?  I  know  all  about  economy."  He  thinks  he  does, 
but  he  does  not.  There  are  many  who  think  that 
economy  consists  in  saving  cheese-parings  and  candle 
ends,  in  cutting  off  two  pence  from  the  laundress'  bill 
and  doing  all  sorts  of  little,  mean,  dirty  things.  Econ 
omy  is  not  meanness.  The  misfortune  is  also  that  this 
class  of  persons  let  their  economy  apply  in  only  one 
direction.  They  fancy  they  are  so  wonderfully  economi 
cal  in  saving  a  half-penny  where  they  ought  to  spend 
two  pence,  that  they  think  they  can  afford  to  squander 
in  other  directions.  A  few  years  ago,  before  kerosene  oil 
was  discovered  or  thought  of,  one  might  stop  over  night 
at  almost  any  farmer's  house  in  the  agricultural  districts 
and  get  a  very  good  supper,  but  after  supper  he  might 
attempt  to  read  in  the  sitting  room,  and  would  find  it 
impossible  with  the  inefficient  light  of  one  candle.  The 
hostess,  seeing  his  dilemma,  would  say :  "  It  is  rather 
difficult  to  read  here  evenings  ;  the  proverb  says  '  you 
must  have  a  ship  at  sea  in  order  to  be  able  to  burn  two 

n 


THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  459 

candles  at  once ; '  we  never  have  an  extra  caddie  except 
on  extra  occasions."  These  extra  occasions  occur, 
perhaps,  twice  a  year.  In  this  way  the  good  woman 
saves  five,  six,  or  ten  dollars  in  that  time ;  but  the 
information  which  might  be  derived  from  having  the 
extra  light  would,  of  course,  far  outweigh  a  ton  of 
candles. 

But  the  trouble  does  not  end  here.  Feeling  that  she 
is  so  economical  in  tallow  candles,  she  thinks  she  can 
afford  to  go  frequently  to  the  village  and  spend  twenty 
or  thirty  dollars  for  ribbons  and  furbelows,  many  of 
which  are  not  necessary.  This  false  ecpnomy  may  fre 
quently  be  seen  in  men  of  business,  and  in  those 
instances  it  often  runs  to  writing  paper.  You  find 
good  business  men  who  save  all  the  old  envelopes,  and 
scraps,  and  would  not  tear  a  new  sheet  of  paper,  if 
they  could  avoid  it,  for  the  world.  This  is  all  very 
well ;  they  may  in  this  way  save  five  or  ten  dollars 
a  year,  but  being  so  economical  (only  in  note  paper), 
they  think  they  can  afford  to  waste  time ;  to  have 
expensive  parties,  and  to  drive  their  carriages.  This 
is  an  illustration  of  Dr.  Franklin's  "  saving  at  the 
spigot  and  wasting  at  the  bung-hole " ;  "  penny  wise 
and  pound  foolish."  Punch  in  speaking  of  this  "  one- 
idea"  class  of  people  says  "  they  a^'e  like  the  man  who 
bought  a  penny  herring  for  his  family's  dinner  and  then 
hired  a  coach  and  four  to  take  it  home."  I  never  knew 
a  man  to  succeed  by  practising  this  kind  of  economy. 

True  economy  consists  in  always  making  the  income 
exceed  the  out-go.  Wear  the  old  clothes  a  little  longer 
if  necessary  ;  dispense  with  the  new  pair  of  gloves ; 
mend  the  old  dress  ;  live  on  plainer  food  if  need  be ;  so 
that  under  all  circumstances,  unless  some  unforeseen 

21* 


460  THE  ABT  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

accident  occurs,  there  will  be  a  margin  in  favor  of  the 
income.  A  penny  here,  and  a  dollar  there,  placed  at 
interest,  goes  on  accumulating,  and  in  this  way  the 
desired  result  is  attained.  It  requires  some  training, 
perhaps,  to  accomplish  this  economy,  but  when  once 
used  to  it,  you  will  find  there  is  more  satisfaction 
in  rational  saving,  than  in  irrational  spending.  Here 
is  a  recipe  which  I  recommend  ;  I  have  found  it  to  work 
an  excellent  cure  for  extravagance  and  especially  for 
mistaken  economy :  When  you  find  that  you  have 
no  surplus  at  the  end  of  the  year,  and  yet  have  a  good 
income,  I  advise  you  to  take  a  few  sheets  of  paper  and 
form  them  into  a  book  and  mark  down  every  item 
of  expenditure.  Post  it  every  "day  or  week  in  two 
columns,  one  headed  "  necessaries  "  or  even  "  comforts," 
and  the  other  headed  "  luxuries,"  and  you  will  find  that 
the  latter  column  will  be  double,  treble,  and  frequently 
ten  times  greater  than  the  former.  The  real  comforts  of 
life  cost  but  a  small  portion  of  what  most  of  us  can  earn. 
Dr.  Franklin  says  "it  is  the  eyes  of  others  and  not  our 
own  eyes  which  ruin  us.  If  all  the  world  were  blind 
except  myself  I  should  not  care  for  fine  clothes  or  fur 
niture."  It  is  the  fear  of  what  Mrs.  Grundy  may  say 
that  keeps  the  noses  of  many  worthy  families  to  the 
grindstone.  In  America  many  persons  like  to  repeat 
44  we  are  all  free  and  equal,"  but  it  is  a  great  mistake 
in  more  senses  than  one. 

That  we  are  born  "free  and  equal"  is  a  glorious 
truth  in  one  sense,  yet  we  are  not  all  born  equally 
rich,  and  we  never  shall  be.  One  may  say,  "  there  is 
a  man  who  has  an  income  of  fifty  thousand  dollars 
per  annum,  while  I  have  but  one  thousand  dollars  ; 
I  knew  that  fellow  when  he  was  poor  like  myself; 


tfHE  AET  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  461 

now  he  is  rich  and  thinks  he  is  better  than  I  am ; 
I  will  show  him  that  I  am  as  good  as  he  is ;  I  will 
go  and  buy  ahorse  and  baggy  ;  — no,  I  cannot  do  thai 
but  I  will  go  and  hire  one  and  ride  this  afternoon  on 
the  same  road  that  he  does,  and  thus  prove  to  him 
that  I  am  as  good  as  he  is." 

My  friend,  you  need  not  take  that  trouble,  you  can 
easily  prove  that  you  are  "  as  good  as  he  is  " ;  you  have 
only  to  behave  as  well  as  he  does,  but  you  cannot  make 
anybody  believe  that  you  are  as  rich  as  he  is.  Besides, 
if  you  put  on  these  "  airs,"  and  waste  your  time  and 
spend  your  money,  your  poor  wife  will  be  obliged  to 
scrub  her  fingers  oif  at  home,  and  buy  her  tea  two  ounces 
at  a  time,  and  everything  eke  in  proportion,  in  order 
that  you  may  keep  up  "  appearances,"  and  after  all, 
deceive  nobody.  On  the  other  hand,  Mrs.  Smith  may- 
say  that  her  next-door  neighbor  married  Johnson  for 
his  money,  and  "  everybody  says  so."  She  has  a  nice 
one  thousand  dollar  camel's  hair  shawl,  and  she  will 
make  Smith  get  her  an  imitation  one  and  she  will  sit 
in  a  pew  right  next  to  her  neighbor  in  church,  in  order 
to  prove  that  she  is  her  equal. 

My  good  woman  you  will  not  get  ahead  in  the  world, 
if  your  vanity  and  envy  thus  take  the  lead.  In  this 
country,  where  we  believe  the  majority  ought  to  rule, 
we  ignore  that  principle  in  regard  to  fashion,  and  let  a 
handful  of  people,  calling  themselves  the  aristocracy, 
run  up  a  false  standard  of  perfection,  and  in  endeavor 
ing  to  rise  to  that  standard,  we  constantly  keep  ourselves 
poor ;  all  the  time  digging  away  for  the  sake  of  outside 
appearances.  How  much  wiser  to  be  a  "  law  unto  our 
selves  "  and  say,  "  we  will  regulate  our  out-go  by  our 
income,  and  lay  up  something  for  a  rainy  day."  People 


462  THE  AET  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

ought  to  be  as  sensible  on  the  subject  of  money-getting 
as  on  any  other  subject.  Like  causes  produce  like  effects. 
You  cannot  accumulate  a  fortune  by  taking  the  road 
that  leads  to  poverty.  It  needs  no  prophet  to  tell  us 
that  those  who  live  fully  up  to  their  means,  without 
any  thought  of  a  reverse  in  this  life,  can  never  attain  a 
pecuniary  independence. 

Men  and  women  accustomed  to  gratify  every  whim 
and  caprice,  will  find  it  hard,  at  first,  to  cut  down  their 
various  unnecessary  expenses,  and  will  feel  it  a  great 
self  denial  to  live  in  a  smaller  house  than  they  have 
been  accustomed  to,  with  less  expensive  furniture,  less 
company,  less  costly  clothing,  fewer  servants,  a  less 
number  of  balls,  parties,  theatre  goings,  carriage  ridings, 
pleasure  excursions,  cigar  smokings,  liquor  drinkings, 
and  other  extravagances  ;  but,  after  all,  if  they  will  try 
the  plan  of  laying  by  a  "  nest-egg,"  or  in  other  words,  a 
small  sum  of  money,  at  interest  or  judiciously  invested 
in  land,  they  will  be  surprised  at  the  pleasure  to  be 
derived  from  constantly  adding  to  their  little  "  pile,"  as 
well  as  from  all  the  economical  habits  which  are 
engendered  by  this  course. 

The  old  suit  of  clothes,  and  the  old  bonnet  and  dres^, 
will  answer  for  another  season ;  the  Croton  or  spring 
water  will  taste  better  than-champagne  ;  a  cold  bath  and 
a  brisk  walk  will  prove  more  exhilarating  than  a  ride  in 
the  finest  coach  ;  a  social  chat,  an  evening's  reading  in 
the  family  circle,  or  an  hour's  play  of  "  hunt  the  slip 
per  "  and  "  blind  man's  buff,"  will  be  far  more  pleasant 
than  a  fifty  or  a  five  hundred  dollar  party,  when  the 
reflection  on  the  difference  in  cost  is  indulged  in  by 
those  who  begin  to  know  the  pleasures  of  saving. 
Thousands  of  men  are  kept  poor,  and  tens  of  thou- 


THE  AET  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  463 

ands  are  made  so  after  they  have  acquired  quite  suffi 
cient  to  support  them  well  through  life,  in  consequence 
of  laying  their  plans  of  living  on  too  broad  a  platform. 
Some  families  expend  twenty  thousand  dollars  per 
annum,  and  some  much  more,  and  would  scarcely  know 
how  to  live  on  less,  while  others  secure  more  solid 
enjoyment  frequently  on  a  twentieth  part  of  that 
amount.  Prosperity  is  a  more  severe  ordeal  than 
adversity,  especially  sudden  prosperity.  "  Easy  come, 
easy  go,"  is  an  old  and  true  proverb.  A  spirit  of 
pride  and  vanity,  when  permitted  to  have  full  sway, 
is  the  undying  .  canker  worm  which  gnaws  the  very 
vitals  of  a  man's  worldly  possessions,  let  them  be 
small  or  great,  hundreds  or  millions.  Many  persons, 
as  they  begin  to  prosper,  immediately  expand  their 
ideas  and  commence  expending  for  luxuries,  until  in 
a  short  time  their  expenses  swallow  up  their  income, 
and  they  become  ruined  in  their  ridiculous  attempts 
to  keep  up  appearances,  and  make  a  "  sensation." 

I  know  a  gentleman  of  fortune  who  says,  that  when 
he  first  began  to  prosper,  his  wife  would  have  a  new 
and  elegant  sofa.  "  That  sofa,"  he  says,  "  cost  me 
thirty  thousand  dollars  !  "  When  the  sofa  reached  the 
house,  it  was  found  necessary  to  get  chairs  to  match ; 
then  side-boards,  carpets  and  tables  "  to  correspond  " 
with  them,  and  so  on  through  the  entire  stock  of  furni 
ture  ;  when  at  last  it  was  found  that  the  house  itself 
was  quite  too  small  and  old-fashioned  for  the  furniture, 
and  a  new  one  was  built  to  correspond  with  the  new 
purchases  ;  "  thus,"  added  my  friend,  "  summing  up  an 
outlay  of  thirty  thousand  dollars  caused  by  that  single 
sofa,  and  saddling  on  me,  in  the  shape  of  servants,  equi 
page,  and  the  necessary  expenses  attendant  upon  keep- 


464  THE  AIIT  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

ing  up  a  fine  '  establishment,'  a  yearly  outlay  of  eleven 
thousand  dollars,  and  a  tight  pinch  at  that ;  whereas, 
ten  years  ago,  we  lived  with  much  more  real  comfort, 
because  with  much  less  care,  on  as  many  hundreds. 
The  truth  is,"  he  continued,  "  that  sofa  would  have 
brought  me  to  inevitable  bankruptcy,  had  not  a  most 
unexampled  tide  of  prosperity  kept  me  above  it,  and 
had  I  not  checked  the  natural  desire  to  *  cut  a  dash.' ' 

The  foundation  of  success  in  life  is  good  health  ;  that 
is  the  substratum  of  fortune ;  it  is  also  the  basis  of  hap 
piness.  A  person  cannot  accumulate  a  fortune  very 
well  when  he  is  sick.  He  has  no  ambition ;  no  incen 
tive  ;  no  force.  Of  course,  there  are  those  who  have 
bad  health  and  cannot  help  it ;  you  cannot  expect  that 
such  persons  can  accumulate  wealth ;  but  there  are  a 
great  many  in  poor  health  who  need  not  be  so. 

If,  then,  sound  health  is  the  foundation  of  success 
and  happiness  in  life,  how  important  it  is  that  we 
should  study  the  laws  of  health,  which  is  but  another 
expression  for  the  laws  of  nature !  The  closer  we  keep 
to  the  laws  of  nature,  the  nearer  we  are  to  good  health, 
and  yet  how  many  persons  there  are  who  pay  no  atten 
tion  to  natural  laws,  but  absolutely  transgress  them, 
even  against  their  own  natural  inclination.  We  ought 
to  know  that  the  "  sin  of  ignorance  "  is  never  winked  at 
in  regard  to  the  violation  of  nature's  laws ;  their  infrac 
tion  always  brings  the  penalty.  A  child  may  thrust  its 
finger  into  the  flame  without  knowing  it  will  burn,  and 
so  suffers ;  repentance  even  will  not  stop  the  smart. 
Many  of  our  ancestors  knew  very  little  about  the  prin 
ciple  of  ventilation.  They  did  not  know  much  about 
oxygen,  whatever  other  "  gin "  they  might  have  been 
acquainted  with;  and  consequently,  they  built  their 


TH$)  ART  OF  MOKEY  GETTING.  465 

houses  with  little  seven-by-nine  feet  bedrooms,  and 
these  good  old  pious  Puritans  would  lock  themselves 
up  in  one  of  these  cells,  say  their  prayers,  and  go  to 
bed.  In  the  morning  they  would  devoutly  return 
thanks  for  the  "  preservation  of  their  lives,"  during  the 
night,  and  nobody  had  better  reason  to  be  thankful. 
Probably  some  big  crack  in  the  window,  or  in  the  door, 
let  in  a  little  fresh  air,  and  thus  saved  them. 

Many  persons  knowingly  violate  the  laws  of  nature 
against  their  better  impulses,  for  the  sake  of  fashion. 
For  instance,  there  is  one  thing  that  nothing  living 
except  a  vile  worm  ever  naturally  loved,  and  that  is 
tobacco  ;  yet  how  many  persons  there  are  who  deliber 
ately  train  an  unnatural  appetite,  and  overcome  this 
implanted  aversion  for  tobacco,  to  such  a  degree  that 
they  get  to  love  it.  They  have  got  hold  of  a  poisonous, 
filthy  weed,  or  rather  that  takes  a  firm  hold  of  them. 
Here  are  married  men  who  run  about  spitting  tobacco 
juice  on  the  carpet  and  floors,  and  sometimes  even  upon 
their  wives  besides.  They  do  not  kick  their  wives  out 
of  doors  like  drunken  men,  but  their  wives,  I  have  no 
doubt,  often  wish  they  were  outside  of  the  house. 
Another  perilous  feature  is  that  this  artificial  appetite, 
like  jealousy,  "  grows  by  what  it  feeds  on  "  ;  when  you 
love  that  which  is  unnatural,  a  stronger  appetite  is 
created  for  the  hurtful  thing  than  the  natural  desire  for 
what  is  harmless.  There  is  an  old  proverb  which  says 
that  "habit  is  second  nature,"  but  an  artificial  habit  is 
stronger  than  nature.  Take  for  instance  an  old  tobacco- 
chewer  ;  his  love  for  the  "  quid  "  is  stronger  than  his 
love  for  any  particular  kind  of  food.  He  can  give  up 
roast  beef  easier  than  give  up  the  weed. 

Young   lad«    regret   that    they    are    not  men ;  they 


466  THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

would  like  to  go  to  bed  boys  and  wake  up  men; 
and  to  accomplish  this  they  copy  the  bad  habits  of 
their  seniors.  Little  Tommy  and  Johnny  see  their 
fathers  or  uncles  smoke  a  pipe  and  they  say,  "  If  I 
could  only  do  that  I  would  be  a  man  too ;  uncle  John 
has  gone  out  and  left  his  pipe  of  tobacco,  let  us  try  it." 
They  take  a  match  and  light  it,  and  then  puff  away. 
"We  will  learn  to  smoke;  do  you  like  it  Johnny?" 
That  lad  dolefully  replies  :  "  Not  very  much  ;  it  tastes 
bitter  "  ;  by  and  by  he  grows  pale,  but  he  persists,  and 
he  soon  offers  up  a  sacrifice  on  the  altar  of  fashion  ;  but 
the  boys  stick  to  it  and  persevere  until  at  last  they 
conquer  their  natural  appetites  and  become  the  victims 
of  acquired  tastes. 

I  speak  "  by  the  book,"  for  I  have  noticed  its  effects 
on  myself,  having  gone  so  far  as  to  smoke  ten  or  fifteen 
cigars  a  day,  although  I  have  not  used  the  weed  during 
the  last  fourteen  years,  and  never  shall  again.  The 
more  a  man  smokes,  the  more  he  craves  smoking  ;  the 
last  cigar  smoked,  simply  excites  the  desire  for  another, 
and  so  on  incessantly. 

Take  the  tobacco-chewer.  In  the  morning  when  he 
gets  up,  he  puts  a  quid  in  his  mouth  and  keeps  it  there 
all  day,  never  taking  it  out  except  to  exchange  it  for 
a  fresh  one,  or  when  he  is  going  to  eat ;  oh !  yes,  at 
intervals  during  the  day  and  evening,  many  a  chewer 
takes  out  the  quid  and  holds  it  in  his  hand  long  enough 
to  take  a  drink,  and  then  pop  it  goes  back  again.  This 
simply  proves  that  the  appetite  for  rum  is  even  stronger 
than  that  for  tobacco.  When  the  tobacco  chewer  goes 
to  your  country  seat  and  you  show  him  your  grapery 
and  fruit  house  and  the  beauties  of  your  garden,  when 
you  offer  him  some  fresh,  ripe  fruit,  and  say,  "  My  friend, 


THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  467 

I  have  got  here  the  most  delicious  apples  and  pears 
and  peaches  and  apricots ;  I  have  imported  them  from 
Spain,  France  and  Italy,  — just  see  those  luscious  grapes  ; 
there  is  nothing  more  delicious  nor  more  healthy  than 
ripe  fruit,  so  help  yourself ;  I  want  to  see  you  delight 
yourself  with  these  things,"  he  will  roll  the  dear  quid 
under  his  tongue  and  answer,  "  No,  I  thank  you,  I  have 
got  tobacco  in  my  mouth."  His  palate  has  become  nar 
cotized  by  the  noxious  weed,  and  he  has  lost,  in  a 
great  measure,  the  delicate  and  enviable  taste  for  fruits. 
This  shows  what  expensive,  useless  and  injurious  hab 
its  men  will  get  into.  I  speak  from  experience.  I 
have  smoked  until  I  trembled  like  an  aspen  leaf,  the 
blood  rushed  to  my  head,  and  I  had  a  palpitation  of  the 
heart  which  I  thought  was  heart  disease,  till  I  was 
almost  killed  with  fright.  When  I  consulted  my  phy 
sician,  he  said  "  break  off  tobacco  using."  I  was  not 
only  injuring  my  health  and  spending  a  great  deal  of 
money,  but  I  was  setting  a  bad  example.  I  obeyed  his 
counsel.  No  young  man  in  the  world  ever  looked  so 
beautiful,  as  he  thought  he  did.  behind  a  fifteen  cent 
cigar  or  a  meerschaum ! 

These  remarks  apply  with  ten-fold  force  to  the  use 
of  intoxicating  drinks.  To  make  money,  requires  a 
clear  brain.  A  man  has  got  to  see  that  two  and  two 
make  four ;  he  must  lay  all  his  plans  with  reflection 
and  forethought,  and  closely  examine  all  the  details  and 
the  ins  and  outs  of  business.  As  no  man  can  suc 
ceed  in  business  unless  he  has  a  brain  to  enable  him  to 
lay  his  plans,  and  reason  to  guide  him  in  their  execu 
tion,  so,  no  matter  how  bountifully  a  man  may  bP 
blessed  with  intelligence,  if  the  brain  is  muddled,  and 
his  judgment  warped  by  intoxicating  drinks,  it  is 


468  THE  AET  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

impossible  for  him  to  carry  on  business  successfully. 
How  many  good  opportunities  have  passed,  never  to 
return,  while  a  man  was  sipping  a  "  social  glass,"  with 
his  friend  !  How  many  foolish  bargains  have  been  made 
under  the  influence  of  the  "  nervine,"  which  temporarily 
makes  its  victim  think  he  is  rich.  How  many  import 
ant  chances  have  been  put  off  until  to-morrow,  and  then 
forever,  because  the  wine  cup  has  thrown  the  system 
into  a  state  of  lassitude,  neutralizing  the  energies  so 
essential  to  success  in  business.  Verily  "  wine  is  a 
mocker."  The  use  of  intoxicating  drinks  as  a  beverage, 
is  as  much  an  infatuation,  as  is  the  smoking  of  opium 
by  the  Chinese,  and  the  former  is  quite  as  destructive 
to  the  success  of  the  business  man  as  the  latter.  It  is 
an  unmitigated  evil,  utterly  indefensible  in  the  light  of 
philosophy,  religion,  or  good  sense.  It  is  the  parent  of 
nearly  every  other  evil  in  our  country. 

Do  N'T  MISTAKE  YOUR  VOCATION.  —  The  safest  plan, 
and  the  one  most  sure  of  success  for  the  young  man 
starting  in  life,  is  to  select  the  vocation  which  is  most 
congenial  to  his  tastes.  Parents  and  guardians  are  often 
quite  too  negligent  in  regard  to  this.  It  is  very  com 
mon  for  a  father  to  say,  for  example  :  "I  have  five  boys. 
I  will  make  Billy  a  clergyman ;  John  a  lawyer ;  Tom  a 
doctor,  and  Dick  a  farmer."  He  then  goes  into  town 
and  looks  about  to  see  what  he  will  do  with  Sammy. 
He  returns  home  and  says  "  Sammy,  I  see  watch-making 
is  a  nice,  genteel  business  ;  I  think  I  will  make  you  a 
goldsmith."  He  does  this  regardless  of  Sam's  natural 
inclinations,  or  genius. 

We  are  all,  no  doubt,  born  for  a  wise  purpose. 
There  is  as  much  diversity  in  our  brains  as  in  our  coun 
tenances.  Some  are  born  natural  mechanics,  while 


THE  AKT  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  469 

some  have  great  aversion  to  machinery.  Let  a  dozen 
boys  of  ten  years  get  together  and  you  will  soon  observe 
two  or  three  are  "  whittling  "  out  some  ingenious  device  ; 
working  with  locks  or  complicated  machinery.  When 
they  were  but  five  years  old,  their  father  could  find  no 
toy  to  please  them  like  a  puzzle.  They  are  natural 
mechanics  ;  but  the  other  eight  or  nine  boys  have  differ 
ent  aptitudes.  I  belong  to  the  latter  class ;  I  never 
had  the  slightest  love  for  mechanism  ;  on  the  contrary  3 
I  have  a  sort  of  abhorrence  for  complicated  machinery. 
I  never  had  ingenuity  enough  to  whittle  a  cider  tap  se 
it  would  not  leak.  I  never  could  make  a  pen  that  I 
could  write  with,  or  understand  the  principle  of  a  steam 
engine.  If  a  man  was  to  take  such  a  boy  as  I  was  and 
attempt  to  make  a  watchmaker  of  him,  the  boy  might, 
after  an  apprenticeship  of  five  or  seven  years,  be  able 
to  take  apart  and  put  together  a  watch ;  but  all  through 
life  he  would  be  working  up  hill  and  seizing  every 
excuse  for  leaving  his  work  and  idling  away  his  time. 
Watch  making  is  repulsive  to  him. 

Unless  a  man  enters  upon  the  vocation  intended  for 
him  by  nature,  and  best  suited  to  his  peculiar  genius,  he 
cannot  succeed.  I  am  glad  to  believe  that  the  majority 
of  persons  do  find  the  right  vocation.  Yet  we  see  many 
who  have  mistaken  their  calling,  from  the  blacksmith 
up  (or  down)  to  the  clergyman.  You  will  see  for 
instance,  that  extraordinary  linguist  the  "  learned  black 
smith,"  who  ought  to  have  been  a  teacher  of  languages ; 
and  you  may  have  seen  lawyers,  doctors  and  clergymen 
who  were  better  fitted  by  nature  for  the  anvil  or  the  lap- 
stone. 

SELECT  THE  RIGHT  LOCATION.  —  After  securing  the 
right  vocation,  you  must  be  careful  to  select  the  proper 


470  THE  ART  OF  MOHEY  GETTING. 

location.  You  may  have  been  cut  out  for  a  hotel 
keeper,  and  they  say  it  requires  a  genius  to  "  know  how 
to  keep  a  hotel."  You  might  conduct  a  hotel  like  clock 
work,  and  provide  satisfactorily  for  five  hundred  guests 
every  day ;  yet,  if  you  should  locate  your  house  in  a 
small  village  where  there  is  no  railroad  communication 
or  public  travel,  the  location  would  be  your  ruin.  It  is 
equally  important  that  you  do  not  commence  business 
where  there  are  already  enough  to.meet  all  demands  in 
the  same  occupation.  I  remember  a  case  which  illus 
trates  this  subject.  When  I  was  in  London  in  1858,  I 
was  passing  down  Holborn  with  an  English  friend  and 
came  to  the  "  penny  shows."  They  had  immense  car 
toons  outside,  portraying  the  wonderful  curiosities  to  be 
seen  "  all  for  a  penny."  Being  a  little  in  the  "  show 
line "  myself,  I  said  "  let  us  go  in  here."  We  soon 
found  ourselves  in  the  presence  of  the  illustrious  show 
man,  and  he  proved  to  be  the  sharpest  man  in  that  line 
I  had  ever  met.  He  told  us  some  extraordinary  stories 
in  reference  to  his  bearded  ladies,  his  Albinos,  and  his 
Armadillos,  which  we  could  hardly  believe,  but  thought 
it  "  better  to  believe  it  than  look  after  the  proof."  He 
finally  begged  to  call  our  attention  to  some  wax  statuary, 
and  showed  us  a  lot  of  the  dirtiest  and  filthiest  wax 
figures  imaginable.  They  looked  as  if  they  had  not 
seen  water  since  the  Deluge. 

"  What  is  there  so  wonderful  about  your  statuary?" 
I  asked. 

"  I  beg  you  not  to  speak  so  satirically,"  he  replied, 
"  Sir,  these  are  not  Madam  Tussaud's  wax  figures,  all 
covered  with  gilt  and  tinsel, and  imitation  diamonds,  and 
copied  from  engravings  and  photographs.  Mine,  sir, 
were  taken  from  life.  Whenever  you  look  upon  one  of 


THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  471 

those  figures,  you  may  consider  that  you  are  looking 
upon  the  living  individual." 

Glancing  casually  at  them,  I  saw  one  labelled  "  Henry 
VIII.,"  and  feeling  a  little  curious  upon  seeing  that  it 
looked  like  Calvin  Edson,  the  living  skeleton,  I  said : 

«  Do  you  call  that  '  Henry  the  Eighth '  ] " 

He  replied,  "  Certainly,  sir ;  it  was  taken  from  life  at 
Hampton  Court  by  special  order  of  his  majesty,  on  such 
a  day." 

He  would  have  given  the  hour  of  the  day  if  I  had 
insisted  ;  I  said  "  everybody  knows  that  '  Henry  VIII,' 
was  a  great  stout  old  king,  and  that  figure  is  lean  and 
lank ;  what  do  you  say  to  that  1  " 

<{  Why,"  he  replied,  "  you  would  be  lean  and  lank 
yourself,  if  you  sat  there  as  long  as  he  has." 

There  was  no  resisting  such  arguments.  I  said  to 
my  English  friend.,  "  Let  us  go  out ;  do  not  tell  him 
who  I  am ;  I  show  the  white  feather ;  he  beats  me." 

He  followed  us  to  the  door,  and  seeing  the  rabble  in 
the  street  he  called  out,  "  ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  beg 
to  draw  your  attention  to  the  respectable  character  of 
my  visitors,"  pointing  to  us  as  we  walked  away.  I 
called  upon  him  a  couple  of  days  afterwards  ;  told  him 
who  I  was,  and  said : 

"  My  friend,  you  are  an  excellent  showman,  but  you 
have  selected  a  bad  location." 

He  replied,  "This  is  true,  sir;  I  feel  that  all  my 
talents  are  thrown  away ;  but  what  can  I  do  ? " 

"  You  can  go  to  America,"  I  replied.  "  You  can  give 
full  play  to  your  faculties  over  there ;  you  will  find 
plenty  of  elbow  room  in  America ;  I  will  engage  you 
for  two  years ;  after  that  you  will  be  able  to  go  o* 
your  own  account." 


472          THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

He  accepted  my  offer  and  remained  two  years  in 
my  New  York  Museum.  He  then  went  to  New  Or 
leans  and  carried  on  a  travelling  show  business  during 
the  summer.  To-day  he  is  worth  sixty  thousand  dol 
lars,  simply  because  he  selected  the  right  vocation  and 
also  secured  the  proper  location.  The  old  proverb 
says,  "  Three  removes  are  as  bad  as  a  fire,"  but  when  a 
man  is  in  the  fire,  it  matters  but  little  how  soon  or 
how  often  he  removes. 

AVOID  DEBT,  —  Young  men  starting  in  life  should 
avoid  running  into  debt.  There  is  scarcely  anything 
that  drags  a  person  down  like  debt.  It  is  a  slavish 
position  to  get  in,  yet  we  find  many  a  young  man 
hardly  out  of  his  "  teens  "  running  in  debt.  He  meets 
a  chum  and  says,  ;<  Look  at  this  ;  I  have  got  trusted  for 
a  new  suit  of  clothes."  He  seems  to  look  upon  the 
clothes  as  so  much  given  to  him ;  well,  it  frequently  is 
so,  but,  if  he  succeeds  in  paying  and  then  gets  trusted 
again,  he  is  adopting  a  habit  which  will  keep  him  in 
poverty  through  life.  Debt  robs  a  man  of  his  self  re 
spect,  and  makes  him  almost  despise  himself.  Grunt 
ing  and  groaning  and  working  for  what  he  has  eaten 
up  or  worn  out,  and  now  when  he  is  called  upon  to 
pay  up,  he  has  nothing  to  show  for  his  money  ;  this  is 
properly  termed  "  working  for  a  dead  horse."  I  do  not 
speak  of  merchants  buying  and  selling  on  credit,  or  of 
those  who  buy  on  credit  in  order  to  turn  the  purchase 
to  a  profit.  The  old  Quaker  said  to  his  farmer  son, 
"  John,  never  get  trusted  ;  but  if  thee  gets  trusted  for 
anything,  let  it  be  for  '  manure/  because  that  will  help 
thee  pay  it  back  again." 

Mr.  Beecher  advised  young  men  to  get  in  debt  if 
they  could  to  a  small  amount  in  the  purchase  of  land  in 


THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  473 

the  country  districts.  "  If  a  young  man,"  he  says, 
"  will  only  get  in  debt  for  some  land  and  then  get  mar 
ried,  these  two  things  will  keep  him  straight,  or  noth 
ing  will."  This  may  be  safe  to  a  limited  extent,  but 
getting  in  debt  for  what  you  eat  and  drink  and  wear  is 
to  be  avoided.  Some  families  have  a  foolish  habit  of 
getting  credit  at  "  the  stores,"  and  thus  frequently 
purchase  many  things  which  might  have  been  dispensed 
with. 

It  is  all  very  well  to  say,  "  I  have  got  trusted  for  sixty 
days,  and  if  I  do  n't  have  the  money,  the  creditor  will 
think  nothing  about  it."  There  is  no  class  of  people 
in  the  world  who  have  such  good  memories  as  credit 
ors.  When  the  sixty  days  run  out,  you  will  have  to 
pay.  If  you  do  not  pay,  you  will  break  your  promise 
and  probably  resort  to  a  falsehood.  You  may  make 
some  excuse  or  get  in  debt  elsewhere  to  pay  it,  but  that 
only  involves  you  the  deeper. 

A  good  looking,  lazy  young  fellow,  was  the  apprentice 
boy  Horatio.  His  employer  said,  "  Horatio,  did  you  ever 
see  a  snail  ? "  "I  —  think  —  I — have,"  he  drawled  out. 
"  You  must  have  met  him  then,  for  I  am  sure  you  never 
overtook  one,"  said  the  "  boss."  Your  creditor  will 
meet  you  or  overtake  you  and  say,  "  Now,  my  young 
friend,  you  agreed  to  pay  me  ;  you  have  not  done  it,  you 
,  must  give  me  your  note."  You  give  the  note  on  interest 
and  it  commences  working  against  you ;  "it  is  a  dead 
horse."  The  creditor  goes  to  bed  at  night  and  wakes 
up  in  the  morning  better  off  than  when  he  retired  to 
bed  because  his  interest  has  increased  during  the  night, 
but  you  grow  poorer  while  you  are  sleeping,  for  the 
interest  is  accumulating  against  you. 

Money  is  in  some   respects   like  fire  —  it  is  a  very 


474:  THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

excellent  servant  but  a  terrible  master.  When  you 
have  it  mastering  you,  when  interest  is  constantly  piling 
up  against  you,  it  will  keep  you  down  in  the  worst  kind 
of  slavery.  But  let  money  work  for  you,  and  you  have 
the  most  devoted  servant  in  the  world.  It  is  no  "  eye- 
servant."  There  is  nothing  animate  or  inanimate  that 
will  work  so  faithfully  as  money  when  placed  at  interest, 
well  secured.  It  works  night  arid  day,  and  in  wet  or 
dry  weather. 

I  was  born  in  the  blue  law  State  of  Connecticut, 
where  the  old  Puritans  had  laws  so  rigid  that  it  was  said, 
"  they  fined  a  man  for  kissing  his  wife  on  Sunday." 
Yet  these  rich  old  Puritans  would  have  thousands  of 
dollars  at  interest,  and  on  Saturday  night  would  be 
worth  a  certain  amount ;  on  Sunday  they  would  go  to 
church  and  perform  all  the  duties  of  a  Christian.  On 
waking  up  on  Monday  morning,  they  would  find  them 
selves  considerably  richer  than  the  Saturday  night 
previous,  simply  because  their  money  placed  at  interest 
had  worked  faithfully  for  them  all  day  Sunday,  according 
to  law  ! 

Do  not  let  it  work  against  you ;  If  you  do,  there  is 
no  chance  for  success  in  life  so  far  as  money  is  con 
cerned.  John  Randolph,  the  eccentric  Virginian,  once 
exclaimed  in  Congress,  "  Mr.  Speaker,  I  have  discovered 
the  philosopher's  stone :  pay  as  you  go."  This  is 
indeed  nearer  to  the  philosopher's  stone  than  any 
alchemist  has  ever  yet  arrived. 

PERSEVERE.  —  When  a  man  is  in  the  right  path,  he 
must  persevere.  I  speak  of  this  because  there  are 
some  persons  who  are  "  born  tired  "  ;  naturally  lazy  and 
possessing  no  self  reliance  and  no  perseverance.  But, 
they  can  cultivate  these  qualities,  as  iJavy  Crockett  said : 


AET  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  475 

"  This  thing  remember,  when  I  am  dead, 
Be  sure  you  are  right,  then  go  ahead." 

It  is  this  go-aheaditivencss,  this  determination  not 
to  let  the  "horrors  "  or  the  "blues"  take  possession 
of  you,  so  as  to  make  you  relax  your  energies  in  the 
struggle  for  independence,  which  you  must  cultivate. 

How  many  have  almost  reached  the  goal  of  their 
ambition,  but  losing  faith  in  themselves  have  relaxed 
their  energies,  and  the  golden  prize  has  been  lost 
forever. 

It  is,  no  doubt,  often  true,  as  Shakespeare  says : 

"  There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men, 
Which  taken  at  the  flood,  leads  on  to  fortune." 

If  you  hesitate,  some  bolder  hand  will  stretch  out 
before  you  and  get  the  prize.  Remember  the  proverb 
of  Solomon :  "  He  becometh  poor  that  dealeth  with  a 
slack  hand ;  but  the  hand  of  the  diligent  maketh  rich." 

Perseverance  is  sometimes  but  another  word  for  self- 
reliance.  Many  persons  naturally  look  on  the  dark  side 
of  life,  and  borrow  trouble.  They  are  born  so.  Then 
they  ask  for  advice,  and  they  will  be  governed  by  one 
wind  and  blown  by  another,  and  cannot  rely  upon 
themselves.  Until  you  get  so  that  you  can  rely 
upon  yourself,  you  need  not  expect  to  succeed.  I  have 
known  men  personally  who  have  met  with  pecuniary 
reverses,  and  absolutely  committed  suicide,  because  they 
thought  they  could  never  overcome  their  misfortune. 
But  I  have  known  others  who  have  met  more  serious 
financial  difficulties,  and  have  bridged  them  over  by 
simple  perseverance,  aided  by  a  firm  belief  that  they 
were  doing  justly,  and  that  Providence  would  "  over 
come  evil  with  good."  You  will  see  this  illustrated  in 
any  sphere  of  life. 
22 


4:76  THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

Take  two  Generals  ;  both  understand  military  tactics, 
both  educated  at  West  Point,  if  you  please,  both 
equally  gifted  ;  yet  one,  having  this  principle  of  persever 
ance,  and  the  other  lacking  it,  the  former  will  succeed 
in  his  profession,  while  the  latter  will  fail.  One  may 
hear  the  cry,  •'  the  enemy  are  coming,  and  they  have 


got  cannon. 


"Got  cannon?"  says  the  hesitating  General. 

"Yes."-    &fili 

"  Then  halt  every  man." 

He  wants  time  to  reflect ;  his  hesitation  is  his  ruin. 
The  enemy  passes  unmolested,  or  overwhelms  him. 
The  General  0f  pluck,  perseverance  and  self  reliance 
goes  into  battle  with  a  will,  and  amid  the  clash  of  arms, 
the  booming  of  cannon,  and  the  shrieks  of  the  wounded 
and  dying,  you  will  see  this  man  persevering,  going  on, 
cutting  and  slashing  his  way  through  with  unwavering 
determination,  and  if  you  are  near  enough,  you  will 
hear  him  shout,  "  I  will  fight  it  out  on  this  line  if  it 
takes  all  summer." 

WHATEVER  YOU  DO,  DO  WITH  ALL  YOUR  MIGHT.  — 
Work  at  it,  if  necessary,  early  and  late,  in  season  and 
out  of  season,  not  leaving  a  stone  unturned,  and  never 
deferring  for  a  single  hour  that  which  can  be  done  just 
as  well  now.  The  old  proverb  is  full  of  truth  and  mean 
ing,  "  Whatever  is  worth  doing  at  all,  is  worth  doing 
well."  Many  a  man  acquires  a  fortune  by  doing  his 
business  thoroughly,  while  his  neighbor  remains  poor 
for  life  because  he  only  half  does  it.  Ambition,  energy, 
industry,  perseverance,  are  indispensable  requisites  for 
success  in  business. 

Fortune  always  favors  the  brave,  and  never  helps  a 
man  who  does  not  help  himself.  It  won't  do  to  spend 


THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  477 

your  time  like  Mr.  Micawber,  in  waiting  for  something 
to  "turn  up."  To  such  men  one  of  two  things  usu 
ally  "  turns  up  "  :  the  poor-house  or  the  jail ;  for  idle 
ness  breeds  bad  habits,  and  clothes  a  man  in  rags.  The 
poor  spendthrift  vagabond  said  to  a  rich  man : 

"  I  have  discovered  there  is  money  enough  in  the 
world  for  all  of  us,  if  it  was  equally  divided ;  this  must 
be  done,  and  we  shall  all  be  happy  together." 

"  But,"  was  the  response,  "  if  everybody  was  like 
you,  it  would  be  spent  in  two  months,  and  what  would 
you  do  then  1 " 

"  Oh !  divide  again  ;  keep  dividing,  of  course !  " 

I  was  recently  reading  in  a  London  paper  an  account 
of  a  like  philosophic  pauper  who  was  kicked  out  of  a 
cheap  boarding-house  because  he  could  not  pay  his  bill, 
but  he  had  a  roll  of  papers  sticking  out  of  his  coat 
pocket,  which,  upon  examination,  proved  to  be  his  plan 
for  paying  off  the  national  debt  of  England  without 
the  aid  of  a  penny.  People  have  got  to  do  as  Crom 
well  said :  "  not  only  trust  in  Providence,  but  keep  the 
powder  dry."  Do  your  part  of  the  work,  or  you  can 
not  succeed.  Mahomet,  one  night,  while  encamping  in 
the  desert,  overheard  one  of  his  fatigued  followers 
remark :  "  I  will  loose  my  camel,  and  trust  it  to  God." 
"  No,  no,  not  so,"  said  the  prophet,  "  tie  thy  camel,  and 
trust  it  to  God !  "  Do  all  you  can  for  yourselves,  and 
then  trust  to  Providence,  or  luck,  or  whatever  you 
please  to  call  it,  for  the  rest. 

DEPEND  UPON  YOUR  OWN  PERSONAL  EXERTIONS. —  The 
eye  of  the  employer  is  often  worth  more  than  the  hands 
of  a  dozen  employees.  In  the  nature  of  things,  an 
agent  cannot  be  so  faithful  to  his  employer  as  to  himself. 
Many  who  are  employers  will  call  to  mind  instances 


478  THE  AllT  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

where  the  best  employees  have  overlooked  important 
points  which  could  not  have  escaped  their  own  observa 
tion  as  a  proprietor.  No  man  has  a  right  to  expect  to 
succeed  in  life  unless  he  understands  his  business,  and 
nobody  can  understand  his  business  thoroughly  unless 
he  learns  it  by  personal  application  and  experience.  A 
man  may  be  a  manufacturer  ;  he  has  got  to  learn  the 
many  details  of  his  business  personally  ;  he  will  learn 
something  every  day,  and  he  will  find  he  will  make 
mistakes  nearly  every  day.  And  these  very  mistakes 
are  helps  to  him  in  the  way  of  experiences  if  he  but 
heeds  them.  He  will  be  like  the  Yankee  tin-peddler, 
who,  having  been  cheated  as  to  quality  in  the  purchase 
of  his  merchandise,  said :  "  All  right,  there's  a  little 
information  to  be  gained  every  day ;  I  will  never  be 
cheated  in  that  way  again."  Thus  a  man  buys  his 
experience,  and  it  is  the  best  kind  if  not  purchased  at 
too  dear  a  rate. 

I  hold  that  every  man  should,  like  Cuvier,  the  French 
naturalist,  thoroughly  know  his  business.  So  proficient 
was  he  in  the  study  of  natural  history,  that  you  might 
bring  to  him  the  bone  or  even  a  section  of  a  bone  of  an 
animal  which  he  had  never  seen  described,  and  reason 
ing  from  analogy,  he  would  be  able  to  draw  a  picture  of 
the  object  from  which  the  bone  had  been  taken.  On 
one  occasion  his  students  attempted  to  deceive  him. 
They  rolled  one  of  their  number  in  a  cow  skin  and  put 
him  under  the  Professor's  table  as  a  new  specimen.  When 
the  philosopher  came  into  the  room,  some  of  the 
students  asked  him  what  animal  it  was.  Suddenly  the 
animal  said  "  I  am  the  devil  and  I  am  going  to  eat  you." 
It  was  but  natural  that  Cuvier  should  desire  to  classify 
this  creature,  and  examining  it  intently,  he  said, 


THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  479 

"  Divided  hoof ;  graminivorous  !  it  cannot  be  done." 

He  knew  that  an  animal  with  a  split  hoof  must  live 
upon  grass  and  grain,  or  other  kind  of  vegetation,  and 
would  not  be  inclined  to  eat  flesh,  dead  or  alive,  so  he 
considered  himself  perfectly  safe.  The  possession  of  a 
perfect  knowledge  of  your  business  is  an  absolute 
necessity  in  order  to  insure  success. 

Among  the  maxims  of  the  elder  Eothschild  was  one, 
an  apparent  paradox  :  "Be  cautious  and  bold."  This 
seems  to  be  a  contradiction  in  terms,  but  it  is  not, 
and  there  is  great  wisdom  in  the  maxim.  It  is,  in 
fact,  a  condensed  statement  of  what  I  have  already 
said.  It  is  to  say,  "  you  must  exercise  your  caution  in 
laying  your  plans,  but  be  bold  in  carrying  them  out." 
A  man  who  is  all  caution,  will  never  dare  to  take  hold 
and  be  successful ;  and  a  man  who  is  all  boldness,  is 
merely  reckless,  and  must  eventually  fail.  A  man  may 
go  on  "  'change  "  and  make  fifty  or  one  hundred  thou 
sand  dollars  in  speculating  in  stocks,  at  a  single  opera 
tion.  But  if  he  has  simple  boldness  without  caution,  it 
is  mere  chance,  and  what  he  gains  to-day  he  will  lose 
to-morrow.  You  must  have  both  the  caution  and  the 
boldness,  to  insure  success. 

The  Rothschilds  have  another  maxim :  "  Never  have 
anything  to  do  with  an  unlucky  man  or  place."  That 
is  to  say,  never  have  anything  to  do  with  a  man  or 
place  which  never  succeeds,  because,  although  a  man 
may  appear  to  be  honest  and  intelligent,  yet  if  he  tries 
this  or  that  thing  and  always  fails,  it  is  on  account 
of  some  fault  or  infirmity  that  you  may  not  be  able  to 
discover,  but  nevertheless  which  must  exist. 

There  is  no  such  thing  in  the  world  as  luck.  There 
never  was  a  man  who  could  go  out  in  the  morning  and 


480  -THE  ABT  OF  MONEY. 

find  a  purse  full  of  gold  in  the  street  to-day,  and  anothef 
to-morrow,  arid  so  on,  day  after  day.  He  riiay  do  so  once 
in  his  life  ;  but  so  far  as  mere  luck  is  concerned,  he  is  as 
liable  to  lose  it  as  to  find  it.  "  Like  causes  produce 
like  effects."  If  a  man  adopts  the  proper  methods 
to  be  successful,  "  luck"  will  not  prevent  him.  If  he 
do^es  not  succeed,  there  are  reasons  for  it,  although  per 
haps,  he  may  not  be  able  to  see  them. 

USE  THE  BEST  TOOLS.  —  Men  in  engaging  employees 
should  be  careful  to  get  the  best.  Understand,  you 
cannot  have  too  good  tools  to  work  with,  and  there  is 
no  tool  you  should  be  so  particular  about  as  living 
tools.  If  you  get  a  good  one,  it  is  better  to  keep  him, 
than  keep  changing.  He  learns  something  every  day, 
and  you  are  benefited  by  the  experience  he  acquires. 
He  is  worth  more\  to  you  this  year  than  last,  and  he  is 
the  last  man  to  park  with,  provided  his  habits  are  good 
and  he  continues  faithful.  If,  as  he  gets  more  valu 
able,  he  demands  an  exorbitant  increase  of  salary  on 
the  supposition  that  you  can't  do  without  him,  let  him 
go.  Whenever  I  have  such  an  employee,  I  always 
discharge  him ;  first,  to  convince  him  that  his  place  may 
be  supplied,  and  second,  because  he  is  good  for  noth 
ing  if  he  thinks  he  is  invaluable  and  cannot  be  spared. 

But  I  would  keep  him,  if  possible,  in  order  to  profit 
from  the  result  of  his  experience.  An  important  ele 
ment  in  an  employee  is  the  brain.  You  can  see  bills 
up,  "  Hands  Wanted,"  but  "  hands  "  are  not  worth  a 
great  deal  without  "  heads."  Mr.  Beecher  illustrates 
this,  in  this  wise  : 

An  employee  offers  his  services  by  saying,  "  I  have  a 
pair  of  hands  and  one  of  my  fingers  thinks."  "That 
is  very  good,"  says  the  employer.  Another  man  comes 


THE  AET  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  481 

along,  and  says  "  he  has  two  fingers  that  think."  "Ah  ! 
that  is  better."  But  a  third  calls  in  and  says  that 
"  all  his  fingers  and  thumbs  think."  That  is  better  still. 
Finally  another  steps  in,  and  says,  "  I  have  a  brain 
that  thinks  ;  I  think  all  over ;  I  am  a  thinking  as  well 
as  a  working  man  !  "  "  You  are  the  man  I  want/'  says 
the  delighted  employer. 

Those  men  who  have  brains  and  experience  are  there 
fore  the  most  valuable  and  not  to  be  readily  parted 
with ;  it  is  better  for  them,  as  well  as  yourself,  to  keep 
them,  at  reasonable  advances  in  their  salaries  from  time 
to  time. 

Do  N'T  GET  ABOVE  YOUR  BUSINESS. — Young  men  after 
they  get  through  their  business  training,  or  apprentice 
ship,  instead  of  pursuing  their  avocation  and  rising  in 
their  business,  will  often  lie  about  doing  nothing.  They 
say,  "  I  have  learned  my  business,  but  I  am  not  going 
to  be  a  hireling  ;  what  is  the  object  of  learning  my  trade 
or  profession,  unless  I  establish  myself]" 

"  Have  you  capital  to  start  with  ?  " 

"  No,  but  I  am  going  to  have  it." 

"  How  are  you  going  to  get  it  ? " 

"  I  will  tell  you  confidentially ;  I  have  a  wealthy  old 
aunt,  and  she  will  die  pretty  soon  ;  but  if  she  does  not, 
I  expect  to  find  some  rich  old  man  who  Tvlll  lend  me  a 
few  thousands  to  give  me  a  start.  If  I  only  get  the 
money  to  start  with  I  will  do  well." 

There  is  no  greater  mistake  than  when  a  young 
man  believes  he  will  succeed  with  borrowed  money. 
Why?  Because  every  man's  experience  coincides  with 
that  of  Mr.  Astor,  who  said,  '  it  was  more  difficult  for 
him  to  accumulate  his  first  thousand  dollars,  than  all 
the  succeeding  millions  that  made  up  his  colossal  for- 


482  THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

tune/  Money  is  good  for  nothing  unless  you  know  the 
value  of  it  by  experience.  Give  a  boy  twenty  thousand 
dollars  and  put  him  in  business  and  the  chances  are 
that  he  will  lose  every  dollar  of  it  before  he  is  a  year 
older.  Like  buying  a  ticket  in  the  lottery,  and  drawing 
a  prize,  it  is  "  easy  come,  easy  go."  He  does  not 
know  the  value  of  it ;  nothing  is  worth  anything,  unless 
it  costs  effort.  Without  self  denial  and  economy, 
patience  and  perseverance,  and  commencing  with  capital 
which  you  have  not  earned,  you  are  not  sure  to  succeed 
in  accumulating.  Young  men  instead  of  "  waiting  for 
dead  men's  shoes  "  should  be  up  and  doing,  for  there  is 
no  class  of  persons  who  are  so  unaccommodating  in 
regard  to  dying  as  these  rich  old  people,  and  it  is 
fortunate  for  the  expectant  heirs  that  it  is  so.  Nine  out 
of  ten  of  the  rich  men  of  our  country  to-day,  started 
out  in  life  as  poor  boys,  with  determined  wills,  industry, 
perseverance,  economy  and  good  habits.  They  went  on 
gradually,  made  their  own  money  and  saved  it ;  and  this 
is  the  best  way  to  acquire  a  fortune.  Stephen  Girard 
started  life  as  a  poor  cabin  boy,  and  died  worth  nine 
million  dollars.  A.  T.  Stewart  was  a  poor  Irish  boy ; 
now  he  pays  taxes  on  a  million  and  a  half  dollars  of 
income,  per  year.  John  Jacob  Astor  was  a  poor  farmer 
boy,  and  died  worth  twenty  millions.  Cornelius  Van- 
derbilt  began  life  rowing  a  boat  from  Staten  Island  to 
New  York ;  now  he  presents  our  government  with  a 
steamship  worth  a  million  of  dollars,  and  he  is  worth 
fifty  millions. 

"  There  is  no  royal  road  to  learning,"  says  the  proverb, 
and  I  may  say  it  is  equally  true,  "  there  is  no  royal  road 
to  wealth."  But  I  think  there  is  a  royal  road  to  both. 
The  road  to  learning  is  a  royal  one ;  the  road  that 


THE  AET  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  483 

enables  the  student  to  expand  his  intellect  and  add 
every  day  to  his  stock  of  knowledge,  until,  in  the  pleas 
ant  process  of  intellectual  growth,  he  is  able  to  solve 
the  most  profound  problems,  to  count  the  stars,  to 
analyze  every  atom  of  the  globe,  and  to  measure  the 
firmament  —  this  is  a  regal  highway,  and  it  is  the  only 
road  worth  travelling. 

So  in  regard  to  wealth.  Go  on  in  confidence,  study 
the  rules,  and  above  all  things,  study  human  nature  ;  for 
"  the  proper  study  of  mankind  is  man,"  and  you  will  find 
that  while  expanding  the  intellect  and  the  muscles,  your 
enlarged  experience  will  enable  you  every  day  to  accu 
mulate  more  and  more  principal,  which  will  increase 
itself  by  interest  and  otherwise,  until  you  arrive  at  a 
state  of  independence.  You  will  find,  as  a  general 
thing,  that  the  poor  boys  get  rich  and  the  rich  boys  get 
poor.  For  instance,  a  rich  man  at  his  decease,  leaves 
a  large  estate  to  his  family.  His  eldest  sons,  who  have 
helped  him  earn  his  fortune,  know  by  experience  the 
value  of  money,  and  they  take  their  inheritance  and 
add  to  it.  The  separate  portions  of  the  young  children 
are  placed  at  interest,  and  the  little  fellows  are  patted 
on  the  head,  and  told  a  dozen  times  a  day,  "  you  are  rich ; 
you  will  never  have  to  work,  you  can  always  have  what 
ever  you  wish,  for  you  were  born  with  a  golden  spoon  in 
your  mouth."  The  young  heir  soon  finds  out  what  that 
means ;  he  has  the  finest  dresses  and  playthings  ;  he  is 
crammed  with  sugar  candies  and  almost  "  killed  with 
kindness,"  and  he  passes  from  school  to  school,  petted 
and  flattered.  He  becomes  arrogant  and  self-conceited, 
abuses  his  teachers,  and  carries  everything  with  a  high 
hand.  He  knows  nothing  of  the  real  value  of  money, 
having  never  earned  any ;  but  he  knows  all  about  the 

22* 


484  THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

"  golden  spoon  "  business.  At  college,  he  invites  his 
poor  fellow-students  to  his  room  where  he  "  wines  and 
dines  "  them.  He  is  cajoled  and  caressed,  and  called  a 
glorious  good  fellow,  because  he  is  so  lavish  of  his  money. 
He  gives  his  game  suppers,  drives  his  fast  horses,  invites 
his  chums  to  fetes  and  parties,  determined  to  have  lots  of 
"  good  times."  He  spends  the  night  in  frolics  and 
debauchery,  and  leads  off  his  companions  with  the 
familiar  song,  "  we  won't  go  home  till  morning."  He 
gets  them  to  join  him  in  pulling  down  signs,  taking 
gates  from  their  hinges  and  throwing  them  into  back 
yards  and  horse-ponds.  If  the  police  arrest  them,  he 
knocks  them  down,  is  taken  to  the  lock-up,  and  joy 
fully  foots  the  bills. 

"  Ah !  my  boys,"  he  cries,  "  what  is  the  use  of  being 
rich,  if  you  can't  enjoy  yourself?  " 

He  might  more  truly  say,  "  if  you  can't  make  a  fool  of 
yourself"  ;  but  he  is  "  fast,"  hates  slow  things,  and  don't 
"  see  it."  Young  men  loaded  down  with  other  people's 
money  are  almost  sure  to  lose  all  they  inherit,  and  they 
acquire  all  sorts  of  bad  habits  which,  in  the  majority  of 
cases,  ruins  them  in  health,  purse  and  character.  In 
this  country,  one  generation  follows  another,  and  the 
poor  of  to-day  are  rich  in  the  next  generation,  or  the 
third.  Their  experience  leads  them  on,  and  they  be 
come  rich,  and  they  leave  vast  riches  to  their  young 
children.  These  children,  having  been  reared  in  luxury, 
are  inexperienced  and  get  poor ;  and  after  long  experi 
ence  another  generation  comes  on  and  gathers  up 
riches  again  in  turn.  And  thus  "  history  repeats  itself," 
and  happy  is  he  who  by  listening  to  the  experience  of 
others  avoids  the  rocks  and  shoals  on  which  so  many 
have  been  wrecked. 


THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  485 

LEARN  SOMETHING  USEFUL.  —  Every  man  should  make 
his  son  or  daughter  learn  some  trade  or  profession,  so 
that  in  these  days  of  changing  fortunes  —  of  being  rich 
to-day  and  poor  to-morrow, — 'they  may  have  something 
tangible  to  fall  back  upon.  This  provision  might  save 
many  persons  from  misery,  who  by  some  unexpected 
turn  of  fortune  have  lost  all  their  means. 

LET    HOPE    PREDOMINATE,    BUT     BE     NOT    TOO    VISIONARY. 

—  Many  persons  are  always  kept  poor,  because  they  are 
too  visionary.  Every  project  looks  to  them  like  certain 
success,  and  therefore  they  keep  changing  from  one 
business  to  another,  always  in  hot  water,  always  "under 
the  harrow."  The  plan  of  "  counting  the  chickens 
before  they  are  hatched "  is  an  error  of  ancient  date, 
but  it  does  not  seem  to  improve  by  age. 

Do  NOT  SCATTER  YOUR  POWERS.  —  Engage  in  one  kind 
of  business  only,  and  stick  to  it  faithfully  until  you 
succeed,  or  until  your  experience  shows  that  you  should 
abandon  it.  A  constant  hammering  on  one  nail  will 
generally  drive  it  home  at  last,  so  that  it  can  be 
clinched.  When  a  man's  undivided  attention  is  cen 
tred  on  one  object,  his  mind  will  constantly  be  suggest 
ing  improvements  of  value,  which  would  escape  him  if 
his  brain  was  occupied  by  a  dozen  different  subjects  at 
once.  Many  a  fortune  has  slipped  through  a  man's 
fingers  because  he  was  engaging  in  too  many  occupa 
tions  at  a  time.  There  is  good  sense  in  the  old  caution 
against  having  too  many  irons  in  the  fire  at  once. 

BE  SYSTEMATIC.  —  Men  should  be  systematic  in  their 
business.  A  person  who  does  business  by  rule,  hav* 
ing  a  time  and  place  for  everything,  doing  his  work 
promptly,  will  accomplish  twice  as  much  and  with  half 
the  trouble  of  him  who  does  it  carelessly  and  slipshod. 


4:86  THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

By  introducing  system  into  all  your  transactions,  doing 
one  thing  at  a  time,  always  meeting  appointments  with 
punctuality,  you  find  leisure  for  pastime  and  recreation ; 
whereas  the  man  who  only  half  does  one  thing,  and 
then  turns  to  something  else  and  half  does  that, 
will  have  his  business  at  loose  ends,  and  will  neve1* 
know  when  his  day's  work  is  done,  for  it  never  will  be 
done.  Of  course  there  is  a  limit  to  all  these  rules. 
We  must  try  to  preserve  the  happy  medium,  for  there 
is  such  a  thing  as  being  too  systematic.  There  are  men 
and  women,  for  instance,  who  put  away  things  so  care 
fully  that  they  can  never  find  them  again.  It  is  too 
much  like  the  "  red  tape  "  formality  at  Washington 
and  Mr.  Dickens'  "Circumlocution  Office,"  —  all  the 
ory  and  no  result. 

When  the  "  Astor  House  "  was  first  started  in  New 
York   City,  it  was  undoubtedly  the   best  hotel  in  tht 
country.     The  proprietors  had  learned  a  good  deal  in 
Europe  regarding  hotels,  and  the  landlords  were  proud 
of  the  rigid  system  which  pervaded  every  departmcp* 
of  their  great  establishment.     When  twelve   o'clock  at 
night  had  arrived  and  there  were  a  number  of  guests 
around,  one  of  the  proprietors  would  say,  "  Touch  that 
bell,  John  " ;  and  in  two  minutes  sixty  servants'  with  a 
water  bucket  in  each  hand,  would  present  themselves 
in  the  hall.     "This,"  said  the  landlord,  addressing  his 
guests,  "  is  our  fire  bell ;  it  will  show  you  we  are  quite 
safe  here  ;  we  do  everything  systematically."     This  was 
before  the  Croton  water  was  introduced  into   the  city. 
But  they  sometimes  carried  their  system  too  far.     On 
one  occasion  when  the  hotel  was  thronged  with  guests, 
one  of  the  waiters  was   suddenly    indisposed,  and  al 
though  there  were  fifty  waiters  in  the  hotel,  the  land' 


THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  487 

lord  thought  he  must  have  his  full  complement,  or  his 
"  system "  would  be  interfered  with.  Just  before  din 
ner  time  he  rushed  down  stairs  and  said,  "  There  must 
be  another  waiter,  I  am  one  waiter  short,  what  can  I 
do  ? "  He  happened  to  see  "  Boots "  the  Irishman. 
u  Pat,"  said  he,  "  wash  your  hands  a'nd  face  ;  take  that 
white  apron  and  come  into  the  dining  room  in  five  min 
utes."  Presently  Pat  appeared  as  required,  and  the  pro 
prietor  said :  "  Now  Pat,  you  must  stand  behind  these 
two  chairs  and  wait  on  the  gentlemen  who  will  occupy 
them  ;  did  you  ever  act  as  a  waiter  ] " 

"  I  know  all  about  it  sure,  but  I  never  did  it." 

Like  the  Irish  pilot,  on  one  occasion  when  the  cap 
tain,  thinking  he  was  considerably  out  of  his  course, 
asked,  "  Are  you  certain  you  understand  what  you  are 
doing! " 

Pat  replied,  "  Sure  and  I  knows  every  rock  in  the 
channel." 

That  moment  "  bang  "  thumped  the  vessel  against  a 
rock. 

"Ah!  be  jabers,  and  that  is  one  of  'em,"  continued 
the  pilot.  But  to  return  to  the  dining-room.  "  Pat,'* 
said  the  landlord,  "  here  we  do  everything  systemati 
cally.  You  must  first  give  the  gentlemen  each  a  plate 
of  soup,  and  when  they  finish  that,  ask  them  what  they 
will  have  next." 

Pat  replied,  "  Ah  !  an'  I  understand  parfectly  the 
vartues  of  shystem." 

Very  soon  in  came  the  guests.  The  plates  of  soup 
were  placed  before  them.  One  of  Pat's  two  gentlemen 
ate  his  soup,  the  other  did  not  care  for  it.  He  said 
"  Waiter,  take  this  plate  away  and  bring  me  some  fish." 

Fat  looked  at  the  untasted  plate  of  soup,  and  remem- 
HG  irmij>o:i   iT'>rv-\F«v  •*•        ifurno1   t        vni^ 


488  THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

bering  the  injunctions  of  the  landlord  in  regard  to 
u  system,"  replied : 

"  Not  till  ye  have  ate  yer  supe  !  " 

Of  course  that  was  carrying  "  system "  entirely  too 
far. 

READ  THE  NEWSPAPERS.  —  Always  take  a  trustworthy 
newspaper  and  thus  keep  thoroughly  posted  in  regard  to 
the  transactions  of  the  world,  He  who  is  without  a 
newspaper  is  cut  off  from  his  species.  In  these  days 
of  telegraphs  and  steam,  many  important  inventions  and 
improvements  in  every  branch  of  trade  are  being  made, 
and  he  who  don't  consult  the  newspapers  will  soon  find 
himself  and  his  business  left  out  in  the  cold. 

BEWARE  OF  "  OUTSIDE  OPERATIONS."  —  We  sometimes 
see  men  who  have  obtained  fortunes,  suddenly  become 
poor.  In  many  cases  this  arises  from  intemperance, 
and  often  from  gaming,  and  other  bad  habits.  Fre 
quently  it  occurs  because  a  man  has  been  engaged  in 
u  outside  operations,"  of  some  sort.  When  he  gets 
rich  in  his  legitimate  business,  he  is  told  of  a  grand 
speculation  where  he  can  make  a  score  of  thousands. 
He  is  constantly  flattered  by  his  friends,  who  tell  him 
that  he  is  born  lucky,  that  everything  he  touches  turns 
into  gold.  Now  if  he  forgets  that  his  economical 
habits,  his  rectitude  of  conduct  and  a  personal  attention 
to  a  business  which  he  understood,  caused  his  success  in 
life,  he  will  listen  to  the  syren  voices.  He  says : 

"  I  will  put  in  twenty  thousand  dollars.  I  have  been 
lucky,  and  my  good  luck  will  soon  bring  me  back  sixty 
thousand  dollars." 

A  few  days  elapse  and  it  is  discovered  he  must  put  in 
ten  thousand  dollars  more ;  soon  after  he  is  told  "it  is 
all  right,"  but  certain  matters  not  foreseen  require  an 


THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  489 

advance  of  twenty  thousand  dollars  more,  which  will 
bring  him  a  rich  harvest ;  but  before  the  time  comes 
around  to  realize,  the  bubble  bursts,  he  loses  all  he  is 
possessed  of,  and  then  he  learns  what  he  ought  to  have 
known  at  the  first,  that  however  successful  a  man  may 
be  in  his  own  business,  if  he  turns  from  that  and 
engages  in  a  business  which  he  don't  understand  he  is 
like  Sampson  when  shorn  of  his  locks,  —  his  strength 
has  departed,  and  he  becomes  like  other  men. 

If  a  man  has  plenty  of  money  he  ought  to  invest 
something  in  everything  that  appears  to  promise  success 
and  that  will  probably  benefit  mankind;  but  let  the 
sums  thus  invested  be  moderate  in  amount,  and  never 
let  a  man  foolishly  jeopardize  a  fortune  that  he  has 
earned  in  a  legitimate  way,  by  investing  it  in  things  in 
which  he  has  had  no  experience, 

DON'T  INDORSE  WITHOUT  SECURITY.  —  I  hold  that  no 
man  ought  ever  to  indorse  a  note  or  become  security  for 
any  man,  be  it  his  father  or  brother,  to  a  greater  extent 
than  he  can  afford  to  lose  and  care  nothing  about,  with 
out  taking  good  security.  Here  is  a  man  that  is  worth 
twenty  thousand  dollars ;  he  is  doing  a  thriving  manu 
facturing  or  mercantile  trade  ;  you  are  retired  and 
living  on  your  money ;  he  comes  to  you  and  says  : 

"  You  are  aware  that  I  am  worth  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  and  don't  owe  a  dollar  ;  if  I  had  five  thousand 
dollars  in  cash,  I  could  purchase  a  particular  lot  of 
goods  and  double  my  money  in  a  couple  of  months  ;  will 
you  indorse  my  note  for  that  amount  I  " 

You  reflect  that  he  is  worth  twenty  thousand  dollars, 
and  you  incur  no  risk  by  indorsing  his  note  ;  you  like 
to  accommodate  him,  and  you  lend  your  name  without 
taking  the  precaution  of  getting  security.  Shortly  after, 


490          THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

he  shows  you  the  note  with  your  indorsement  cancelled, 
and  tells  you,  probably  truly,  "  that  he  made  the  profit 
that  he  expected  by  the  operation,"  you  reflect  that 
you  have  done  a  good  action,  and  the  thought  makes 
you  feel  happy.  By  and  by,  the  same  thing  occurs 
again,  and  you  do  it  again  ;  you  have  already  fixed  the 
impression  in  your  mind  that  it  is  perfectly  safe  to 
indorse  his  notes  without  security. 

But  the  trouble  is,  this  man  is  getting  money  too 
easily.  He  has  only  to  take  your  note  to  the  bank,  get 
it  discounted  and  take  the  cash.  He  gets  money  for 
the  time  being  without  effort ;  without  inconvenience  to 
himself.  Now  mark  the  result.  He  sees  a  chance  for 
speculation  outside  of  his  business.  A  temporary 
investment  of  only  $10,000  is  required.  It  is  sure  to 
come  back  before  a  note  at  the  bank  would  be  due. 
He  places  a  note  for  that  amount  before  you.  You 
sign  it  almost  mechanically.  Being  firmly  convinced 
that  your  friend  is  responsible  and  trustworthy,  you 
indorse  his  notes  as  "  a  matter  of  course." 

Unfortunately  the  speculation  does  not  come  to  a  head 
quite  so  soon  as  was  expected,  and  another  $10,000  note 
must  be  discounted  to  take  up  the  last  one  when  due. 
Before  this  note  matures  the  speculation  has  proved  an 
utter  failure  and  all  the  money  is  lost.  Does  the  loser 
tell  his  friend,  the  indorser,  that  he  has  lost  half  of  his 
fortune?  Not  at  all.  He  don't  even  mention  that  he 
has  speculated  at  all.  But  he  has  got  excited ;  the  spirit 
of  speculation  has  seized  him ;  he  sees  others  making 
large  sums  in  this  way  (we  seldom  hear  of  the  losers), 

a .  like  other  speculators,  he  "  looks  for  his  money 

where  he  loses  it."  He  tries  again.  Indorsing  his 
notes  has  become  chronic  with  you,  and  at  every  loss  he 


THE  AKT  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  491 

gets  your  signature  for  whatever  amount  he  wants. 
Finally  you  discover  your  friend  has  lost  all  of  his 
property  and  all  of  yours.  You  are  overwhelmed  with 
astonishment  and  grief,  and  you  say  "  it  is  a  hard  thing, 
my  friend  here  has  ruined  me,"  but,  you  should  add,  "  I 
have  also  ruined  him."  If  you  had  said  in  the  first 
place, "  I  will  accommodate  you,  but  I  never  indorse  with 
out  taking  ample  security,"  he  could  not  have  gone 
beyond  the  length  of  his  tether  and  he  would  never 
have  been  tempted  away  from  his  legitimate  business. 
It  is  a  very  dangerous  thing,  therefore,  at  any  time,  to 
let  people  get  possession  of  money  too  easily ;  it  tempts 
them  to  hazardous  speculations,  if  nothing  more. 
Solomon  truly  said  "  he  that  hateth  suretiship  is  sure." 

So  with  the  young  man  starting  in  business ;  let  him 
understand  the  value  of  money  by  earning  it.  When  he 
does  understand  its  value,  then  grease  the  wheels  a  little 
in  helping  him  to  start  business,  but  remember  men 
who  get  money  with  too  great  facility  cannot  usually 
succeed.  You  must  get  the  first  dollars  by  hard  knocks, 
and  at  some  sacrifice,  in  order  to  appreciate  the  value 
of  those  dollars. 

ADVERTISE  YOUR  BUSINESS. — We  all  depend,  more  or 
less,  upon  the  public  for  our  support  We  all  trade 
with  the  public,  —  lawyers,  doctors,  shoemakers,  artists, 
blacksmiths,  showmen,  opera  singers,  railroad  presi 
dents,  and  college  professors.  Those  who  deal  with  the 
public  must  be  careful  that  their  goods  are  valuable  ; 
that  they  are  genuine,  and  will  give  satisfaction.  When 
you  get  an  article  which  you  know  is  going  to  please 
your  customers,  and  that  when  they  have  tried  it,  they 
will  feel  they  have  got  their  money's  worth,  then  let  the 
fact  be  known  that  you  have  got  it.  Be  careful  to 


492  THE  AET  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

advertise  it  in  some  shape  or  other,  because  it  is  evident 
that  if  a  man  has  ever  so  good  an  article  for  sale,  and 
nobody  knows  it,  it  will  bring  him  no  return.  In  a 
country  like  this,  where  nearly  everybody  reads,  and 
where  newspapers  are  issued  and  circulated  in  editions 
of  five  thousand  to  two  hundred  thousand,  it  would  be 
very  unwise  if  this  channel  was  not  taken  advantage  of 
to  reach  the  public  in  advertising.  A  newspaper  goes 
into  the  family  and  is  read  by  wife  and  children,  as  well 
as  the  head  of  the  house ;  hence  hundreds  and  thou 
sands  of  people  may  read  your  advertisement,  while  you 
are  attending  to  your  routine  business.  Many,  perhaps, 
read  it  while  you  are  asleep.  The  whole  philosophy  of 
life  is,  first  "  sow,"  then  "  reap."  That  is  the  way  the 
farmer  does ;  he  plants  his  potatoes  and  corn,  and  sows 
his  grain,  and  then  goes  about  something  else,  and  the 
time  comes  when  he  reaps.  But  he  never  reaps  first 
and  sows  afterwards.  This  principle  applies  to  all 
kinds  of  business,  and  to  nothing  more  eminently  than 
to  advertising.  If  a  man  has  a  genuine  article,  there  is 
no  way  in  which  he  can  reap  more  advantageously  than 
by  "  sowing "  to  the  public  in  this  way.  He  must,  of 
course,  have  a  really  good  article,  and  one  which  will 
please  his  customers ;  anything  spurious  will  not  suc 
ceed  permanently,  because  the  public  is  wiser  than 
many  imagine.  Men  and  women  are  selfish,  and  we  all 
prefer  purchasing  where  we  can  get  the  most  for  our 
money ;  and  we  try  to  find  out  where  we  can  most  surely 
do  so. 

You  may  advertise  a  spurious  article,  and  induce 
many  people  to  call  and  buy  it  once,  but  they  will 
denounce  you  as  an  impostor  and  swindler,  and  your  busi 
ness  will  gradually  die  out,  and  leave  you  poor.  This  is 


THE  ABT  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  493 

right*  Few  people  can  safely  depend  upon  chance  cus 
tom.  You  all  need  to  have  your  customers  return  and 
purchase  again.  A  man  said  to  me,  "  I  have  tried 
advertising,  and  did  not  succeed;  yet  I  have  a  good 
urticle." 

I  replied,  "  My  friend,  there  may  be  exceptions  to 
a  general  rule.     But  how  do  you  advertise]  " 

"  I  put  it  in  a  weekly  newspaper  three   times,  and 
paid  a  dollar  and  a  half  for  it." 

I  replied :    "  Sir,   advertising   is  like  learning  — '  a 
little  is  a  dangerous  thing.' ' 

A  French  writer  says  that  "  The  reader  of  a  newspa 
per  does  not  see  the  first  insertion  of  an  ordinary  adver 
tisement  ;  the  second  insertion  he  sees,  but  does  not 
read  ;  the  third  insertion  he  reads  ;  the  fourth  insertion, 
he  looks  at  the  price  ;  the  fifth  insertion,  he  speaks  of  it 
to  his  wife ;  the  sixth  insertion,  he  is  ready  to  purchase, 
and  the  seventh  insertion,  he  purchases."  Your  object 
in  advertising  is  to  make  the  public  understand  what 
you  have  got  to  sell,  and  if  you  have  not  the  pluck  to 
keep  advertising,  until  you  have  imparted  that  informa 
tion,  all  the  money  you  have  spent  is  lost.  You  are 
like  the  fellow  who  told  the  gentleman  if  he  would 
give  him  ten  cents  it  would  save  him  a  dollar.  "  How 
can  I  help  you  so  much  with  so  small  a  sum  ? "  asked 
the  gentleman  in  surprise.  "  I  started  out  this  morning 
(hiccupped  the  fellow)  with  the  full  determination  to  get 
drunk,  and  I  have  spent  my  only  dollar  to  accomplish 
the  object,  and  it  has  not  quite  done  it.  Ten  cents 
worth  more  of  whiskey  would  just  do  it,  and  in  this 
manner  I  should  save  the  dollar  already  expended." 

So  a  man  who  advertises  at  all  must  keep  it  up  until 
the  public  know  who  and  what  he  is,  and   what  his 


494  THE  AFT  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

business  is,  or  else  the  \noney  invested  in  advertising  is 
lost. 

Some  men  have  a  peculiar  genius  for  Writing  a 
striking  advertisement,  one  that  will  arrest  the  atten 
tion  of  the  reader  at  first  sight.  This  tact,  of  course, 
gives  the  advertiser  a  gre^t  advantage.  Sometimes  a 
man  makes  himself  popular  by  an  unique  sign  or  a 
curious  display  in  his  window.  Recently  I  observed 
a  swing  sign  extending  ove*  the  sidewalk  in  front 
of  a  store,  on  which  was  th^  inscription,  in  plain 
letters, 

"DON'T   HEAD    THE    OTH^K   SIDE." 

Of  course  I  did,  and  so  did  everybody  else,  and  I 
learned  that  the  man  had  made  an  independence  by 
first  attracting  the  public  to  his  business  in  that  way 
and  then  using  his  customers  well  afterwards. 

Genin,  the  hatter,  bought  the  first  Jenny  Lind  ticket 
at  auction  for  two  hundred  and  twenty- five  dollars, 
because  he  knew  it  would  be  a  good  advertisement  for 
him.  "  Who  is  the  bidder]"  said  the  auctioneer,  as  he 
knocked  down  that  ticket  at  Castle  Garden.  "  Genin, 
the  hatter,"  was  the  response.  Here  were  thousands  of 
people  from  the  Fifth  Avenue,  and  from  distant  cities 
in  the  highest  stations  in  life,  "  Who  is  '  Genin,'  th£ 
hatter  ? "  they  exclaimed.  They  had  never  heard  of  him 
before.  The  next  morning  the  newspapers  and  tele 
graph  had  circulated  the  facts  from  Maine  to  Texas,  and 
from  five  to  ten  millions  of  people  had  read  that  the 
tickets  sold  at  auction  for  Jenny  Lind's  first  concert 
amounted  to  about  twenty  thousand  dollars,  and  that  a 
single  ticket  was  sold  at  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
dollars,  to  "  Genin,  the  hatter."  Men  throughout  the 


THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GWTtflNG.  495 

country  involuntarily  took  off  their  hats  to  see  if  they 
had  a  "  Genin  "  hat  on  their  heads.  At  a  town  in  Iowa 
it  was  found  that  in  the  crowd  around  the  Post  Office, 
there  was  one  man  who  had  a  "  Genin "  hat,  and  he 
shoAved.it  in  triumph,  although  it  was  worn  out  and  not 
worth  two  cents.  "  Why,"  one  man  exclaimed,  "  you 
have  a  real c  Genin  '  hat ;  what  a  lucky  fellow  you  are." 
Another  man  said  "  Hang  on  to  that  hdt,  it  will  be  a 
valuable  heir-loom  in  your  family. "  Still  another  man 
in  the  crowd,  who  seemed  to  envy  the  possessor  of  this 
good  fortune,  said,  "  come,  give  us  all  a  chance  ;  put  it  up 
at  auction !  "  He  did  so,  and  it  was  sold  as  a  keepsake 
for  nine  dollars  and  fifty  cents  !  What  was  the  conse 
quence  to  Mr.  Genin  ?  He  sold  ten  thousand  extra  hats 
per  annum,  the  first  six  years.  Nine-tenths  of  the 
purchasers  bought  of  him,  probably,  out  of  curiosity, 
and  many  of  them,  finding  that  he  gave  them  an  equiva 
lent  for '  their  money,  became  his  regular  customers. 
This  novel  advertisement  first  struck  their  attention, 
and  then  as  he  made  a  good  article,  they  came  again. 

Now,  I  do  n't  say  that  everybody  should  advertise  as 
Mr.  Genin  did.  But  I  say  if  a  man  has  got  goods 
for  sale,  and  he  don't  advertise  them  in  some  way,  the 
chances  are  that  some  day  the  sheriff  will  do  it  for  him. 
Nor  do  I  say  that  everybody  must  advertise  in  a  news 
paper,  or  indeed  use  "  printers'  ink  "  at  all.  On  the 
contrary,  although  that  article  is  indispensable  in  the 
majority  of  cases,  yet  doctors  and  clergymen,  and  some 
times  lawyers  and  some  others  can  more  effectually  reach 
the  public  in  some  other  manner.  But  it  is  obvious, 
they  must  be  known  in  some  way,  else  how  could  they 
be  supported? 

BE    POLITE    AND    KIND  TO    YOUR  CUSTOMERS.,.    Politeness 


496  THE  AKT  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

and  civility  are  the  best  capital  ever  invested  in  business. 
Large  stores,  gilt  signs,  flaming  advertisements,  will 
all  prove  unavailing  if  you  or  your  employees  treat 
your  patrons  abruptly.  The  truth  is,  the  more  kind 
and  liberal  a  man  is,  the  more  generous  will  be  the 
patronage  bestowed  upon  him.  "  Like  begets  like." 
The  man  who  gives  the  greatest  amount  of  goods  of  a 
corresponding  quality  for  the  least  sum  (still  reserving 
to  himself  a  profit)  will  generally  succeed  best  in  the  long 
run.  This  brings  us  to  the  golden  rule,  "  As  ye 
would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  also  to  them," 
and  they  will  do  better  by  you  than  if  you  always 
treated  them  as  if  you  wanted  to  get  the  most  you  could 
out  of  them  for  the  least  return.  Men  who  drive  sharp 
bargains  with  their  customers,  acting  as  if  they  never 
expected  to  see  them  again,  will  not  be  mistaken.  They 
never  will  see  them  again  as  customers.  People  don't 
like  to  pay  and  get  kicked  also. 

One  of  the  ushers  in  my  Museum  once  told  me  he 
intended  to  whip  a  man  who  was  in  the  lecture  room  as 
soon  as  he  came  out. 

"What  for?"  I  inquired. 

"  Because  he  said  I  was  no  gentleman,"  replied  the 
usher. 

"  Never  mind,"  I  replied,  "  he  pays  for  that,  and  you 
will  not  convince  him  you  are  a  gentleman  by  whipping 
him.  I  cannot  afford  to  lose  a  customer.  If  you  whip 
him,  he  will  never  visit  the  Museum  again,  and  he  will 
induce  friends  to  go  with  him  to  other  places  of  amuse 
ment  instead  of  this,  and  thus,  you  see,  I  should  be  a 
serious  loser." 

"  But  he  insulted  me,"  muttered  the  usher. 

"  Exactly,"  I  replied,  "  and  if  he  owned  the  Museum, 


THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  497 

and  you  had  paid  him  for  the  privilege  of  visiting  it, 
and  he  had  then  insulted  you,  there  might  be  some  rea 
son  in  your  resenting  it,  but  in  this  instance  he  is  the 
man  who  pays,  while  we  receive,  and  you  must,  there 
fore,  put  up  with  his  bad  manners." 

My  usher  laughingly  remarked,  that  this  was  undoubt 
edly  the  true  policy,  but  he  added  that  he  should  not 
object  to  an  increase  of  salary  if  he  was  expected  to  be 
abused  in  order  to  promote  my  interests. 

BE  CHARITABLE. — Of  course  men  should  be  charitable, 
because  it  is  a  duty  and  a  pleasure.  But  even  as  a  mat 
ter  of  policy,  if  you  possess  no  higher  incentive,  you 
will  find  that  the  liberal  man  will  command  patronage, 
while  the  sordid,  uncharitable  miser  will  be  avoided. 

Solomon  says :  "  There  is  that  scattereth  and  yet 
increaseth;  and  there  is  that  withholdeth  more  than 
meet,  but  it  tendeth  to  poverty."  Of  course  the  only 
true  charity  is  that  which  is  from  the  heart. 

The  best  kind  of  charity  is  to  help  those  who  are 
willing  to  help  themselves.  Promiscuous  almsgiving, 
without  inquiring  into  the  worthiness  of  the  applicant, 
is  bad  in  every  sense.  But  to  search  out  and  quietly 
assist  those  who  are  struggling  for  themselves,  is  the 
kind  that  "  scattereth  and  yet  increaseth."  But  don't 
fall  into  the  idea  that  some  persons  practise,  of  giving  a 
prayer  instead  of  a  potato,  and  a  benediction  instead  of 
bread,  to  the  hungry.  It  is  easier  to  make  Christians 
with  full  stomachs  than  empty. 

Do  N'T  BLAB. — Some  men  have  a  foolish  habit  of  tell 
ing  their  business  secrets.  If  they  make  money  they 
like  to  tell  their  neighbors  how  it  was  done.  Nothing 
is  gained  by  this,  and  ofttimes  much  is  lost.  Say  noth 
ing  about  your  profits,  your  hopes,  your  expectations, 


498  THE  AET  OF  MONEY  GETTIKG. 

your  intentions.  And  this  should  apply  to  letters  as 
well  as  to  conversation.  Goethe  makes  Mephistophiles 
say :  "  never  write  a  letter  nor  destroy  one."  Business 
men  must  write  letters,  but  they  should  be  careful  what 
they  put  in  them.  If  you  are  losing  money,  be  specially 
cautious  and  not  tell  of  it,  or  you  will  lose  your  reputa 
tion. 

PRESERVE  YOUR  INTEGRITY. — It  is  more  precious  than 
diamonds  or  rubies.  The  old  miser  said  to  his  sons : 
"  Get  money ;  get  it  honestly,  if  you  can,  but  get  money." 
This  advice  was  not  only  atrociously  wicked,  but  it  was 
the  very  essence  of  stupidity.  It  was  as  much  as  to  say, 
"  if  you  find  it  difficult  to  obtain  money  honestly,  you 
can  easily  get  it  dishonestly.  Get  it  in  that  way." 
Poor  fool !  Not  to  know  that  the  most  difficult  thing 
in  life  is  to  make  money  dishonestly !  not  to  know  that 
our  prisons  are  full  of  men  who  attempted  to  follow 
this  advice ;  not  to  understand  that  no  man  can  be  dis 
honest  without  soon  being  found  out,  and  that  when  his 
lack  of  principle  is  discovered,  nearly  every  avenue  id 
success  is  closed  against  him  forever.  The  public  very 
properly  shun  all  whose  integrity  is  doubted.  No  mat 
ter  how  polite  and  pleasant  and  accommodating  a  man 
may  be,  noi)e  of  us  dare  to  deal  with  him  if  we  suspect 
"  false  weights  and  measures."  Strict  honesty  not  only 
lies  at  the  foundation  of  all  success  in  life  (financially), 
but  in  every  other  respect.  Uncompromising  integrity 
of  character  is  invaluable.  It  secures  to  its  possessor  a 
peace  and  joy  which  cannot  be  attained  without  it  — 
which  no  amount  of  money,  or  houses  and  lands  can 
purchase.  A  man  who  is  known  to  be  strictly  honest, 
may  be  ever  so  poor,  but  he  has  the  purses  of  all  the 
community  at  his  disposal ;  —  for  all  know  that  if  he 


THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING  499 

promises  to  return  what  he  borrows,  he  will  never  dis 
appoint  them.  As  a  mere  matter  of  selfishness,  there 
fore,  if  a  man  had  no  higher  motive  for  being  honest, 
all  will  find  that  the  maxim  of  Dr.  Franklin  can  never 
fail  to  be  true,  that  "  honesty  is  the  best  policy." 

To  get  rich,  is  not  always  equivalent  to  being  successful. 
"  There  are  many  rich  poor  men,"  while  there  are  many 
others,  honest  and  devout  men  and  women,  who  have 
never  possessed  so  much  money  as  some  rich  persons 
squander  in  a  week,  but  who  are  nevertheless  really  richer 
and  happier  than  any  man  can  ever  be  while  he  is  a 
transgressor  of  the  higher  laws  of  his  being. 

The  inordinate  love  of  money,  no  doubt,  may  be  and 
is  "  the  root  of  all  evil,"  but  money  itself,  when  properly 
used,  is  not  only  a  "handy  thing  to  have  in  the  house," 
but  affords  the  gratification  of  blessing  our  race  by 
enabling  its  possessor  to  enlarge  the  scope  of  human 
happiness  and  human  influence.  The  desire  for  wealth 
is  nearly  universal,  and  none  can  say  it  is  not  laudable, 
provided  the  possessor  of  it  accepts  its  responsibilities, 
and  uses  it  as  a  friend  to  humanity. 

The  history  of  money  getting,  which  is  commerce,  is 
a  history  of  civilization,  and  wherever  trade  has 
flourished  most,  there,  too,  have  art  and  science  pro 
duced  the  noblest  fruits.  In  fact,  as  a  general  thing, 
money  getters  are  the  benefactors  of  our  race.  To 
them,  in  a  great  measure,  are  we  indebted  for  our  insti 
tutions  of  learning  and  of  art,  our  academies,  col 
leges  and  churches.  It  is  no  argument  against  the 
desire  for,  or  the  possession  of  wealth,  to  say  that 
there  are  sometimes  misers  who  hoard  money  only 
for  the  sake  of  hoarding,  and  who  have  no  higher  aspi 
ration  than  to  grnsp  everything  which  comes  with> 
23 


500  THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

their  reach.  As  we  have  sometimes  hypocrites  in  relig 
ion,  and  demagogues  in  politics,  so  there  are  occasionally 
misers  among  money  getters.  These,  however,  are 
only  exceptions  to  the  general  rule.  But  when,  in 
this  country,  we  find  such  a  nuisance  and  stumbling 
block  as  a  miser,  we  remember  with  gratitude  that  in 
America  we  have  no  laws  of  primogeniture,  and  that  in 
the  due  course  of  nature  the  time  will  come  when  the 
hoarded  dust  will  be  scattered  for  the  benefit  of  mankind. 
To  all  men  and  women,  therefore,  do  I  conscientiously 
say,  make  money  honestly,  and  not  otherwise,  for  Shakes 
peare  has  truly  said,  "  He  that  wants  money,  means  and 
content,  is  without  three  good  friends." 

Nearly  every  paper  in  London  had  something  to  say 
about  my  lecture,  and  in  almost  every  instance  the 
matter  and  manner  of  the  lecturer  were  unqualifiedly 
approved.  Indeed,  the  profusion  of  praise  quite  over 
whelmed  me.  The  London  Times,  December  30,  1858, 
concluded  a  half-column  criticism  with  the  following 
paragraph : 

"  We  arc  bound  to  admit  that  Mr.  Barnuin  is  one  of  the  most  entertaining 
lecturers  that  ever  addressed  an  audience  on  a  theme  universally  intelligible. 
The  appearance  of  Mr.  Barnum,  it  should  be  added,  has  nothing  of  the 
'charlatan'  about  it,  but  is  that  of  the  thoroughly  respectable  man  of  business; 
and  he  has  at  command  a  fund  of  dry  humor  that  convulses  everybody  Avith 
laughter,  while  he  himself  remains  perfectly  serious.  A  sonorous  voice  and  an 
admirably  clear  delivery  complete  his  qualifications  as  a  lecturer,  in  which 
capacity  he  is  110  (  humbug,'  either  in  a  higher  or. lower  sense  of  the  word." 

The  London  Morning  Post,  the  Advertiser,  the  Chron 
icle,  the  Telegraph,  the  Herald,  the  News,  the  Globe,  the 
Sun,  and  other  lesser  journals  of  the  same  date,  all 
contained  lengthy  and  favorable  notices  and  criticisms 
of  rny  lecture.  My  own  lavish  advertisements  were  as 
nothing  to  the  notoriety  which  the  London  newspapers 
voluntarily  and  editorially  gave  to  my  new  enterprise. 


THE  AKT  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  501 

The  weekly  and  literary  papers  followed  in  the  train ; 
and  even  Punch,  which  had  already  done  so  much  t6 
keep  Tom  Thumb  before  the  public,  gave  me  a  half- 
page  notice,  with  an  illustration,  and  thereafter  favored 
me  with  frequent  paragraphs.  The  city  thus  prepared 
the  provinces  to  give  me  a  cordial  reception. 

During  the  year  1859,  I  delivered  this  lecture  nearly 
one  hundred  times  in  different  parts  of  England, 
returning  occasionally  to  London  to  repeat  it  to  fresh 
audiences,  and  always  with  pecuniary  success.  Every 
provincial  paper  had  something  to  say  about  Barnum 
and  "  The  art  of  Money  Getting,"  and  I  was  never  more 
pleasantly  or  profusely  advertised.  The  tour,  too,  made 
me  acquainted  with  many  new  people  and  added  fresh 
and  fast  friends  to  my  continually  increasing  list.  My 
lecturing  season  is  among  my  most  grateful  memories  of 
England. 

Remembering  my  experiences,  some  years  before, 
with  General  Tom  Thumb  at  Oxford  and  Cambridge, 
and  the  fondness  of  the  undergraduates  for  practical 
joking,  I  was  quite  prepared  when  I  made  up  my  mind 
to  visit  those  two  cities,  to  take  any  quantity  of  "  chaff  " 
and  lampooning  which  the  University  boys  might  choose 
to  bring.  I  was  sure  of  a  full  house  in  each  city,  and 
as  I  was  anxious  to  earn  all  the  money  I  could,  so  as  to 
hasten  my  deliverance  from  financial  difficulties,  I  fully 
resolved  to  put  up  with  whatever  offered  —  indeed,  I 
rather  liked  the  idea  of  an  episode  in  the  steady  run  of 
praise  which  had  followed  my  lecture  every  where,  and 
I  felt,  too,  in  the  coming  encounter  that  I  might  give 
quite  as  much  as  I  was  compelled  to  take. 

I  commenced  at  Cambridge,  and,  as  I  expected,  to  an 
overflowing  house,  largely  composed  of  undergraduates 


502  THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

Soon  after  I  began  to  speak,  one  of  the  young  men 
called  out :  "  Where  is  Joice  Heth  ?  "  to  which  I  very 
coolly  replied : 

"  Young  gentleman,  please  to  restrain  yourself  till  the 
conclusion  of  the  lecture,  when  I  shall  take  great 
delight  in  affording  you,  or  any  others  of  her  posterity, 
all  the  information  I  possess  concerning  your  deceased 
relative." 

This  reply  turned  the  laugh  against  the  youthful  and 
anxious  inquirer  and  had  the  effect  of  keeping  other 
students  quiet  for  a  half  hour.  Thereafter,  questions 
of  a  similar  character  were  occasionally  propounded, 
but  as  each  inquirer  generally  received  a  prompt  Roland 
for  his  Oliver,  there  was  far  less  interruption  than  I 
had  anticipated.  The  proceeds  of  the  evening  were 
more  than  one  hundred  pounds  sterling,  an  important 
addition  to  my  treasury  at  that  time.  At  the  close  of 
the  lecture,  several  students  invited  me  to  a  sump 
tuous  supper  where  I  met,  among  other  undergraduates, 
a  nephew  of  Lord  Macaulay,  the  historian.  This 
young  gentleman  insisted  upon  my  breakfasting  with 
him  at  his  rooms  next  morning,  but  as  I  was  anxious  to 
take  an  early  train  for  London,  I  only  called  to  leave 
my  card,  and  after  his  "  gyp  "  had  given  me  a  strong 
cup  of  coffee,  I  hastened  away,  leaving  the  young 
Macaulay,  whom  I  did  not  wish  to  disturb,  fast  asleep 
in  bed. 

At  Oxford  the  large  hall  was  filled  half  an  hour 
before  the  time  announced  for  the  lecture  to  begin  and 
the  sale  of  tickets  was  stopped.  I  then  stepped  upon 
the  platform,  and  said  :  "  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  :  As 
every  seat  is  occupied  and  the  ticket-office  is  closed, 
I  propose  to  proceed  with  my  lecture  now,  and  not 
keep  you  waiting  till  the  advertised  hour." 


THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  503 

<c  Good  for  you,  old  Barnum,"  said  one ;  "  Time  is 
money,"  said  another;  "  Nothing  like  economy,"  came 
from  a  third,  and  other  remarks  and  exclamations 
followed  which  excited  much  laughter  in  the  audi 
ence.  Holding  up  my  hand  as  a  signal  that  I  was 
anxious  to  say  something  so  soon  as  silence  should 
be  restored,  I  thus  addressed  my  audience  : 

"  Young  gentlemen,  I  have  a  word  or  two  to  say,  in 
order  that  we  may  have  a  thorough  understanding 
between  ourselves  at  the  outset.  I  see  symptoms  of  a 
pretty  jolly  time  here  this  evening,  and  you  have  paid 
me  liberally  for  the  single  hour  of  my  time  which  is  at 
your  service.  I  am  an  old  traveller  and  an  old  show 
man,  and  I  like  to  please  my  patrons.  Now,  it  is  quite 
immaterial  to  me ;  you  may  furnish  the  entertainment 
for  the  hour,  or  I  will  endeavor  to  do  so,  or  we  will  take 
portions  of  the  time  by  turns  —  you  supplying  a  part 
of  the  amusement,  and  I  a  part ;  —  as  we  say  sometimes 
in  America,  '  you  pays  your  money,  and  you  takes  your 
choice.' " 

My  auditors  were  in  the  best  of  humor  from  the 
beginning,  and  my  frankness  pleased  them.  "  Good  for 
you,  old  Barnum,"  cried  their  leader ;  and  I  went  on 
with  my  lecture  for  some  fifteen  minutes,  when  a  voice 
called  out : 

"  Come,  old  chap  !  you  must  be  tired  by  this  time  ; 
hold  up  now  till  we  sing  '  Yankee  Doodle,'  "  whereupon 
they  all  joined  in  that  pleasing  air  with  a  vigor  which 
showed  that  they  had  thoroughly  prepared  themselves 
for  the  occasion,  and  meanwhile  I  took  a  chair  and  sat 
down  to  show  them  that  I  was  quite  satisfied  with  their 
manner  of  passing  the  time.  When  the  song  was  con 
cluded,  the  leader  of  the  party  said :  "  Now,  Mr.  Bar 
num,  you  may  go  ahead  again," 


504  THE  AKT  OF  MONEY  GETTING. 

I  looked  at  my  watch  and  quietly  remarked,  "  Oh ! 
there  is  time  for  lots  of  fun  yet ;  we  have  nearly  forty 
minutes  of  the  hour  remaining,"  and  I  proceeded  with 
my  lecture,  or  rather  a  lecture,  for  I  began  to  adapt  my 
remarks  to  the  audience  and  the  occasion.  At  intervals 
of  ten  minutes,  or  so,  came  interruptions  which  I,  as 
my  audience  saw,  fully  enjoyed  as  much  as  the  house 
did.  When  this  miscellaneous  entertainment  w^as  con 
cluded,  and  I  stopped  short  at  the  end  of  the  hour, 
crowds  of  the  young  men  pressed  forward  to  shake 
hands  with  me,  declaring  that  they  had  had  a  "jolly 
good  time,"  while  the  leader  said :  "  Stay  with  us  a 
week,  Barnum,  and  we  will  dine  you,  wine  you,  and 
give  you  full  houses  every  night."  But  I  was  announced 
to  lecture  in  London  the  next  evening  and  I  could  not 
accept  the  pressing  invitation,  though  I  would  gladly 
have  stayed  through  the  week.  They  asked  me  all 
sorts  of  questions  about  America,  the  Museum,  my 
various  shows  and  successes,  and  expressed  the  hope 
that  I  would  come  out  of  my  clock  troubles  all  right. 

At  least  a  score  of  them  pressed  me  to  breakfast  with 
them  next  morning,  but  I  declined,  till  one  young  gentle 
man  put  it  on  this  purely  personal  ground :  "My  dear 
sir,  you  must  breakfast  with  me ;  I  have  almost  split 
my  throat  in  screaming  here  to-night  and  it  is  only  fair 
that  you  should  repay  me  by  coming  to  see  me  in  the 
morning."  This  appeal  was  irresistible,  and  at  the 
appointed  time  I  met  him  and  half  a  dozen  of  his 
friends  at  his  table  and  we  spent  a  very  pleasant  hour 
together.  They  complimented  me  on  the  tact  and 
equanimity  I  had  exhibited  the  previous  evening,  but  I 
replied :  "  Oh !  I  was  quite  inclined  to  have  you  enjoy 
your  fun,  and  came  fully  prepared  for  it." 


THE  ART  OF  MONEY  GETTING.  505 

But  they  liked  better,  they  said,  to  get  the  party  angry. 
A  fortnight  before,  they  told  me,  my  friend  Howard 
Paul  had  left  them  in  disgust,  because  they  insisted 
upon  smoking  while  his  wife  was  on  the  stage,  adding 
that  the  entertainment  was  excellent  and  that  Howard 
Paul  could  have  made  a  thousand  pounds  if  he  had  not 
let  his  anger  drive  him  away.  My  new-found  friends 
parted  with  me  at  the  railway  station,  heartily  urging 
me  to  come  again,  and  my  ticket  seller  returned  £169 
as  the  immediate  result  of  an  evening's  good-natured 
fun  with  the  Oxford  boys. 

After  delivering  my  lecture  many  times  in  different- 
places,  a  prominent  publishing  house  in  London,  offered 
me  £1,200  ($6,000,)  for  the  copyright.  This  offer  I 
declined,  not  that  I  thought  the  lecture  worth  more 
money,  but  because  I  had  engaged  to  deliver  it  in  several 
towns  and  cities,  and  I  thought  the  publication  would 
be  detrimental  to  the  public  delivery  of  my  lec 
ture.  It  was  a  source  of  very  considerable  emolument 
to  me,  bringing  in  much  money,  which  went  towards  the 
redemption  of  my  pecuniary  obligations,  so  that  the  lec 
ture  itself  was  an  admirable  illustration  of  "  The  Art  of 
Money  Getting." 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

AN  ENTERPRISING  ENGLISHMAN. 

AN  ENGLISH  YANKEE — MY  FIRST  INTERVIEW  WITH  HIM  —  HIS  PLANS  BASED.  ON 
BARNUM'S  BOOK  —  ADVERTISING  FOR  PARTNERS  —  HOW  MY  RULES  MADE 
HIM  RICH — METHOD  IN  MADNESS  —  THE  "  BARNUM  "  OF  BURY  —  DINNER  TO 
TOM  THUMB  AND  COMMODORE  NUTT  —  MY  AGENT  IN  PARIS —MEASURING  A 
MONSTER  —  HOW  GIANTS  AND  DWARFS  STRETCH  AND  CONTRACT  —  AN  UN 
WILLING  FRENCHMAN  —  A  PERSISTENT  MEASURER  —  A  GIGANTIC  HUMBUG  — 
THE  STEAM-ENGINES  "BARNUM"  AND  "  CHARITY  "  —  WHAT  "  CHARITY  "  DID 
FOR  "BARNUM"  —  SELLING  THE  SAME  GOODS  A  THOUSAND  TIMES  — THE 
GREAT  CAKES  —  SIMNEL  SUNDAY  —  THE  SANITARY  COMMISSION  FAIR. 

WHILE  visiting  Manchester,  in  1858,  I  was  invited  by 
Mr.  Peacock,  the  lessee,  to  deliver  a  lecture  in  "  Free 
Trade  Hall."  I  gave  a  lecture,  the  title  of  which  I  now 
forget ;  but  I  well  remember  it  contained  numerous  per 
sonal  reminiscences.  The  next  day  a  gentleman  sent 
his  card  to  my  room  at  the  hotel  where  I  was  stopping. 
I  requested  the  servant  to  show  the  gentleman  up  at 
once,  and  he  soon  appeared  and  introduced  himself. 
At  first  he  seemed  somewhat  embarrassed,  but  gradually 
broke  the  ice  by  saying  he  had  been  pleased  in  listening 
to  my  lecture  the  previous  evening,  and  added  that  he 
knew  my  history  pretty  well,  as  he  had  read  my  auto 
biography.  As  his  embarrassment  at  first  meeting  with 
a  stranger  wore  away,  he  informed  me  that  he  was  joint 
proprietor  with  another  gentleman  in  a  "  cotton-mill " 
in  Bury,  near  Manchester,  "  although,"  he  modestly 
added,  "  only  a  few  years  ago  I  was  working  as  a  jour 
neyman,  and  probably  should  have  been  at  this  tim/x 


AN  ENTERPRISING  ENGLISHMAN.  501 

had  it  not  been  for  your  book."     Observing  my  surprise 
at  this  announcement,  he  continued : 

"  The  fact  is,  Mr.  Barnum,  upon  reading  your  auto 
biography,  I  thought  I  perceived  you  tried  to  make 
yourself  out  something  worse  than  you  really  were  ;  for 
I  discovered  a  pleasant  spirit  and  a  good  heart  under  the 
rougher  exterior  in  which  you  chose  to  present  yourself 
to  the  public ;  but,"  he  added,  "  after  reading  your 
life  I  found  myself  in  possession  of  renewed  strength, 
and  awakened  energies  and  aspirations,  and  I  said  to 
myself,  '  Why  can't  I  go  ahead  and  make  money  as  Bar 
num  did  I  He  commenced  without  money  and  suc 
ceeded  ;  why  may  not  I  ] '  In  this  train  of  thought," 
he  continued,  "  I  went  to  a  newspaper  office  and  adver 
tised  for  a  partner  with  money  to  join  me  in  establishing 
a  cotton-mill.  I  had  no  applications,  and,  remembering 
your  experiences  when  you  had  money  and  wanted  a 
partner,  I  spent  half  a  crown  in  a  similar  experiment. 
I  advertised  for  a  partner  to  join  a  man  who  had  plenty 
of  capital.  Then  I  had  lots  of  applicants  ready  to  intro 
duce  me  into  all  sorts  of  occupations,  from  that  of  a 
banker  to  that  of  a  horse-jockey  or  gambler,  if  I  would 
only  furnish  the  money  to  start  with.  After  a  while,  I 
advertised  again  for  a  partner,  and  obtained  one  with 
money.  We  have  a  good  mill.  I  devote  myself  closely 
to  business,  and  have  been  very  successful.  I  know 
every  line  in  your  book  ;  so,  indeed,  do  several  members 
of  my  family  ;  and  I  have  conducted  my  business  on  the 
principles  laid  down  in  your  published  fc  Rules  for 
Money-making.'  I  find  them  correct  principles  ;  and, 
sir,  I  have  sought  this  interview  in  order  to  thank  you 
for  publishing  your  autobiography,  and  to  tell  you  that 
to  that  act  of  yours  I  attribute  my  present  position  in 
life."  23* 


508  AN  ENTERPKISING  ENGLISHMAN. 

Of  course,  I  was  pleased  and  surprised  at  this  revela 
tion,  and,  feeling  that  my  new  friend,  whom  I  will  call 
Mr.  Wilson  *  had  somewhat  exaggerated  the  results  of 
my  labors  as  influencing  his  own,  I  said  : 

"  Your  statement  is  certainly  very  flattering,  and  I  am 
glad  if  I  have  been  able  in  ,any  manner,  through  my 
experiences,  to  aid  you  in  starting  in  life  ;  but  I  presume 
your  genius  would  have  found  vent  in  good  time  if  I 
had  never  written  a  book." 

"  No,  indeed  it  would  not,"  he  replied,  in  an  earnest 
tone  ;  "  I  am  sure  I  should  have  worked  as  a  mill-hand 
all  my  life  if  it  had  not  been  for  you.  Oh,  I  have  made 
no  secret  of  it,"  he  continued ;  "  the  commercial  men 
with  whom  I  deal  know  all  about  it :  indeed,  they  call 
me  '  Barnum '  on  'change  here  in  Manchester." 

This  singular  yet  gratifying  interview  led  to  several 
others,  and  from  that  time  a  warm  personal  friendship 
sprung  up  between  us.  In  our  conversations,  my  enthu 
siastic  friend  would  often  quote  entire  pages  from  my 
autobiography,  which  I  had  almost  forgotten  ;  and,  after 
he  had  frequently  visited  me  by  appointment  where  I 
happened  to  be  stopping  in  different  parts  of  Great 
Britain,  he  would  write  me  letters,  often  quoting  scraps 
of  my  conversation,  and  extolling  what  he  called  the 
"  wisdom "  of  these  careless  remarks.  I  laughed  at 
him,  and  told  him  he  was  about  half  Barnum-crazy. 
"  Well,"  he  replied,  "  then  there  is  method  in  my  mad 
ness,  for  whenever  I  follow  the  Barnum  rules  I  am 
always  successful." 

On  one  occasion,  when  General  Tom  Thumb  exhi 
bited  in  Bury,  Mr.  Wilson  closed  his  mill,  and  gave 
each  of  his  employes  a  ticket  to  the  exhibition  ;  out 
of  respect,  as  he  said,  to  Barnum.  On  a  subsequent 

*  T.yfiis  consent  I  state  that  his  name  is  John  Fish. 


AN  ENTERPRISING  ENGLISHMAN.  509 

occasion,  when  the  little  General  visited  England  the 
last  time,  Mr.  Wilson  invited  him,  his  wife,  Commodore 
Nutt,  Minnie  Warren,  and  the  managers  of  "  the  show," 
to  a  splendid  and  sumptuous  dinner  at  his  house,  which 
the  distinguished  little  party  enjoyed  exceedingly ;  and 
several  interesting  incidents  occurred  on  that  pleasant 
occasion,  which  the  miniature  guests  will  never  cease 
to  remember  with  gratitude.  When  I  was  about  to 
leave  England  for  home,  in  1859,  my  friend  Wilson 
made  an  appointment  to  come  to  Liverpool  to  see  me 
off.  He  came  the  day  before  I  sailed,  and  brought  his 
little  daughter,  some  twelve  years  old,  with  him.  We 
had  a  remarkably  pleasant  and  social  time,  and  I  did 
not  part  with  them  until  the  tug  was  almost  dropping  off 
from  the  steamer  in  the  river  Mersey.  It  was  a  very 
reluctant  parting.  We  waved  our  handkerchiefs  until 
we  could  no  longer  distinguish  each  other ;  and  up  to 
the  present  writing  we  have  never  again  met.  To  my 
numerous  invitations  to  him  and  his  family,  to  visit  me 
in  America,  he  sends  but  one  response,  —  that,  as  yet, 
his  business  will  not  permit  him  to  leave  home.  I  hope 
ere  long  to  receive  a  different  answer.  Our  correspond 
ence  has  been  regularly  kept  up  ever  since  we  parted. 
My  friend  Wilson  expressed  himself  extremely  anx 
ious  to  do  any  service  for  me  which  might  at  any  time 
be  in  his  power.  Soon  after  I  arrived  in  America,  I 
read  an  account  of  a  French  giant,  then  exhibiting  in 
Paris,  and  said  to  be  over  eight  feet  in  height.  As  this 
was  a  considerably  greater  altitude  than  any  specimen 
of  the  genus  homo  within  my  knowledge  had  attained, 
I  wrote  to  my  friend  to  take  a  trip  to. Paris  for  me, 
secure  an  interview  with  this  modern  Anak,  and  by 
actual  measurement  obtain  for  me  his  exact  height.  I 


510  AN  ENTEKRRISING  ENGLISHMAN. 

enclosed  an  offer  for  this  giant's  services,  arranging  ike 
price  on  a  sliding  scale,  according  to  what  his  height 
should  actually  prove  to  be,  —  commencing  at  c-fght 
feet,  and  descending  to  seven  feet  two  inches;  and  r(; 
he  was  not  taller  than  the  latter  figure,  I  did  not  war': 
him  at  all. 

Mr.  Wilson,  placing  an  English  two-foot  rule  in  his 
pocket,  started  for  Paris  ;  and,  after  much  difficulty  and 
several  days'  delay  in  trying  to  speak  with  the  giant, 
who  was  closely  watched  by  his  exhibitor,  Mr.  Wilson 
succeeded,  by  the  aid  of  an  interpreter,  in  exchanging  a 
few  words  with  him,  and  appointing  an  interview  at  his 
own  (the  giant's)  lodgings.  And  now  came  a  trouble 
which  required  all  the  patience  and  diplomacy  which 
my  agent  could  command.  Mr.  Wilson,  arriving  at  the 
place  of  rendezvous,  told  the  giant  who  he  was,  and  the 
object  of  his  visit.  In  fact,  he  showed  him  my  letter, 
and  read  the  tempting  offers  which  I  made  for  his  ser 
vices,  provided  he  measured  eight  feet,  or  even  came 
within  six  inches  of  that  height. 

"  Oh,  I  measure  over  eight  feet  in  height,"  said  the 
giant.  "Very  likely,"  .replied  my  faithful  agent,  "but 
you  see  my  orders  are  to  measure  you-  '  "  There's  no 
need  of  that,  you  can  see  for  yourself,"  stretching  him 
self  up  a  few  inches,  by  aid  of  that  peculiar  muscular 
knack  which  giants  and  dwarfs  exercise  when  they 
desire  to  extend  or  diminish  their  apparent  stature. 
64  No  doubt  you  are  right,"  persisted  the  agent ;  "  but 
you  see  that  is  not  according  to  orders."  "  Weil,  stand 
alongside  of  me  ;  see,  the  top  of  your  hat  do  n't  come  to 
my  shoulder,"  said  the  giant,  as  he  swung  his  arm  com 
pletely  over  Mr.  Wilson's  head,  hat  and  all, 

But  my  wary  agent  happened  just  then  to  be  watch- 


: 


AN  ENTERPBISING  ENGLISHMAN.  511 

ing  the  giant's  feet  and  knees,  and  he  thought  he  saw  a 
movement  around  the  "  understandings  "  that  materially 
helped  the  elevation  of  the  "  upperworks."  "  It  is  all 
very  well,"  said  Mr.  Wilson ;  "  but  I  tell  you  I  have 
brought  a  two-foot  rule  from  England,  and,  if  I  am  not 
permitted  to  mfeasure  your  height  with  that,  I  shall  not 
engage  you."  My  offer  had  been  very  liberal ;  in  fact, 
provided  he  was  eight  feet  high,  it  was  more  than  four 
times  the  amount  the  giant  was  then  receiving ;  it  was 
evidently  a  great  temptation  to  his  u  highness,"  and 
quite  as  evidently  he  did  not  want  to  be  fairly  measured. 
"  Well,"  said  the  giant,  "  if  you  can't  take  my  word 
for  it,  look  at  that  door ;  you  see  my  head  is  more  than 
two  feet  above  the  top :  "  (giving  his  neck  and  every 
muscle  in  his  body  a  severe  stretch:)  "just  measure  the 
height  of  that  door."  My  English  friend  plainly  saw 
that  the  giant  felt  that  he  could  not  come  up  to  the 
mark,  an,d  he  laughed  at  this  last  ruse.  "  Oh,  I  don't 
want  to  measure  the  door;  I  prefer  to  measure  you," 
said  Mr.  Wilson,  coolly.  The  giant  was  now  desperate, 
and,  stretching  himself  up  to  the  highest  point,  he  ex 
claimed  :  "  Well,  be  quick  !  put  your  rule  down  to  my 
feet  and  measure  me  ;  no  delay,  if  you  please." 

The  giant  knew  .he  could  nol  hold  himself  up  many 
seconds  to  the  few  extra  inches  he  had  imparted  to  his 
extended  muscles  ;  but  his  "remark  had  drawn  Mr.  Wil 
son's  attention  to  his  feet,  and  from  the  feet  to  the  boots, 
and  he  began  to  open  his  eyes.  "  Look  here,  Monsieur," 
he  exclaimed  with  much  earnestness,  "  this  sort  of  thing 
wont  do,  you  know.  I  don't  understand  this  contrivance 
around  the  soles  of  your  boots,  but  it  seems  to  me  you 
have  got  a  set  of  springs  in  there  which  materially  aids 
your  altitude  a  few  inches  when  you  desire  it.  Now,  I 


512  AN  ENTERPRISING  ENGLISHMAN. 

shall  stand  no  more  nonsense.  If  I  engage  you  at  all, 
you  must  first  take  off  your  boots,  and  lie  flat  upon  your 
back  in  the  middle  of  the  floor ;  there  you  will  have  no 
purchase,  and  you  may  stretch  as  much  as  you  like ;  and 
for  every  inch  you  fairly  measure  above  seven  feet  two 
inches  you  know  what  I  am  authorized  to  give  you." 
The  giant  grumbled  and  talked  about  his  word  being 
doubted  and  his  honor  assailed,  but  Mr.  Wilson  calmly 
persisted,  until  at  length  he  slowly  took  off  his  coat  and 
gradually  got  down  on  the  floor.  Stretched  upon  his 
back,  he  made  several  vain  efforts  to  extend  his  natural 
height.  Mr.  Wilson  carefully  applied  his  English  two- 
foot  rule,  the  result  of  the  measurement  causing  him 
much  astonishment  and  the  giant  more  indignation,  the 
giant  measuring  exactly  seven  feet  one  and  one  half 
inches.  So  he  was  not  engaged,  and  my  agent  returned 
to  England  and  wrote  me  a  most  amusing  letter,  giving 
the  particulars  of  the  gigantic  interview. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  erection  of  a  new  engine  in  his 
mill,  Mr.  Wilson  proposed  naming  it  after  his  daughter, 
but  she  insisted  it  should  be  christened  "  Barnum,"  and 
it  was  so  done,  with  considerable  ceremony.  Subse 
quently  he  introduced  a  second  engine  into  his  enlarged 
mill,  and  named  this,  after  my  wife,  "  Charity." 

A  short  time  since,  I  wrote  informing  him  that  I  de 
sired  to  give  some  of  the  foregoing  facts  in  my  book, 
and  asked  him  to  give  me  his  consent,  and  also  to 
furnish  me  some  particulars  in  regard  to  the  engines, 
and  the  capacity  of  his  mill.  He  wrote  in  return  a 
modest  letter,  which  is  so  characteristic  of  my  whole- 
souled  friend  that  I  cannot  forbear  making  the  following 
extracts  from  it : 


AN  ENTERPRISING  ENGLISHMAN. 

Had  I  made  a  fortune  of  £100,0(X)  I  should  have  been  proud  of  such  a  place  in 
your  book  as  Albert  Smith  has  in  your  Autobiography;  but,  as  I  have  only  been 
able  to  make  (here  he  named  a  sum  which  in  this  country  would  be  considered 
almost  a  fortune),  I  feel  I  should  be  out  of  place  in  your  pages;  at  all  events, 
if  you  mention  me  at  all,  draw  it  mildly,  if  you  please. 

The  American  war  has  made  sad  havoc  in  our  trade,  and  it  is  only  by  close  atten 
tion  to  business  that  I  have  lately  been  at  all  succesvsful.  I  have  built  a  place  for 
one  thousand  looms,  and  have,  as  you  know,  put  in  a  pair  of  engines,  which  I  have 
named  "Barnum"  and  "Charity."  Each  engine  has  its  name  engraved  on  two 
large  brass  plates  at  either  end  of  the  cylinder,  which  has  often  caused  much 
mirth  when  I  have  explained  the  circumstances  to  visitors.  I  started  and  chris 
tened  "Charity"  on  the  14th  of  January  last,  and  she  has  saved  me  £12  per 
month  in  coals  ever  since.  The  steam  from  the  boiler  goes  first  to  "  Charity"  (she 
is  high  pressure),  and  "  Barnum  "  only  gets  the  steam  after  she  has  done  with  it. 
He  has  to  work  at  low  pressure  (a  condensing  engine),  and  the  result  is  a  saving. 
Barnum  was  extravagant  when  he  took  steam  direct,  but,  since  I  fixed  Charity 
betwixt  him  and  the  boiler,  he  can  only  get  what  she  gives  him.  This  reminds 
me  that  you  state  in  your  "  Life  "  you  could  always  make  money,  but  formerly  did 
not  save  it.  Perhaps  you  never  took  care  of  it  till  Charity  became  Chancellor  of 
Exchequer.  When  I  visited  you  at  the  Bull  Hotel,  in  Blackburn,  you  pointed  to- 
General  Tom  Thumb,  and  said:  "That  is  my  piece  of  goods;  I  have  sold  it  hun 
dreds  of  thousands  of  times,  and  have  never  yet  delivered  it !"  That  was  ten 
years  ago,  in  1858.  If  I  had  been  doing  the  same  with  my  pieces  of  calico,  I  must 
have  been  wealthy  by  this  time:  but  I  have  been  hammering  at  one  (cotton)  nail 
several  months,  and,  as  it  did  not  offer  to  clinch,  I  was  almost  tempted  to  doubt 
one  of  your  "  rules,"  and  thought  I  would  drive  at  some  other  nail;  but,  on  reflec 
tion,  I  knew  I  understood  cotton  better  than  anything  else,  and  so  I  back  up 
your  rule  and  stick  to  cotton,  not  doubting  it  will  be  all  right  and  successful. 


Mr,  Wilson  was  one  of  the  large  class  of  English 
manufacturers  who  suffered  seriously  from  the  effects  of 
the  rebellion  in  the  United  States.  As  an  Englishman 
he  could  not  have  a  patriot's  interest  in  the  progress  of 
that  terrible  struggle  ;  but  he  made  a  practical  exhibition 
of  sympathy  for  the  suffering  soldiers,  in  a  pleasant  and 
characteristic  manner. 

The  great  fair  of  the  Sanitary  Commission,  held  in 
Naw  York  during  the  war,  affords  one  of  the  most 
interesting  chapters  in  American  history.  It  meant 
cordial  for  the  sick  and  suffering  in  the  hospitals,  and 
balm  and  relief  for  the  wounded  in  the  field.  None 
of  those  who  visited  the  Fair  will  forget,  in  the  multi 
plicity  of  offerings  to  put  money  into  the  treasury  of  the 


514  AN  ENTERPRISING  ENGLISHMAN. 

Commission,  two  monster  cakes,  which  were  as  strange 
in  shape  and  ornament  as  they  were  fairly  mammoth  in 
their  proportions.  One  of  these  great  cakes  was  cov 
ered  with  miniature  forts,  ships  of  war,  cannon,  armies, 
arms  of  the  whole  "  panoply  of  war,"  and  it  excited  the 
attention  of  all  visitors.  This  strange  cake  was  what  is 
called  in  Bury,  England,  where  name,  cake  and  custom 
originated,  a  "  Simnel  cake,"  and  an  interesting  history 
pertains  to  it. 

There  is  an  anniversary  in  Bury,  and  I  believe  only  in 
that  place  in  England,  called  "  Simnel  Sunday."  Like 
many  old  observances,  its  origin  is  lost  in  antiquity ;  but 
on  the  fourth  Sunday  in  Lent,  which  is  Simnel  Sunday, 
everybody  in  Bury  eats  Simnel  cake.  It  is  a  high  day 
for  the  inhabitants,  and  the  streets  are  thronged  with 
people.  During  the  preceding  week,  the  shop  windows 
of  the  confectioners  exhibit  a  plethora  of  large,  flat 
cakes,  of  a  peculiar  pattern  and  of  toothsome  composi 
tion.  Every  confectioner  aims  to  outdo  his  rivals  in  the 
bigness  of  the  one  show-cake  which  nearly  fills  his  win 
dow,  and  in  the  moulding  and  ornamental  accessories. 
A  local  description,  giving  the  requisite  characteristics, 
says :  "  The  great  Simnel  must  be  rich,  must  be  big,  and 
must  be  novel  in  ornamentation."  Such  is  the  Simnel 
cake,  the  specialty  of  Simnel  Sunday,  in  the  town  of 
Bury,  in  Old  England. 

And  such  was  the  monster  cake,  with  its  warlike  em 
blems,  which  attracted  so  much  attention  at  the  Fair, 
and  added  considerably  to  the  receipts  for  the  Sanitary 
Commission.  It  was  sent  to  me  expressly  for  this  Fair, 
by  my  friend  Wilson,  and,  while  it  was  in  itself  a  gener 
ous  gift,  it  was  doubly  so  as  coming  from  an  English 
manufacturer  who  had  suffered  by  the  war.  The  second 


AN  ENTERPRISING  ENGLISHMAN.;  515 

great  Simnel  cake  which  stood  beside  it  in  the  Fair  was 
sent  to  me  personally  by  Mr.  Wilson ;  but  with  his  per 
mission  I  took  much  pleasure  in  contributing  it,  with  his 
own  offering,  for  the  benefit  of  our  suffering  soldiers. 

It  may  thus  be  seen  that  my  friend  Wilson  is  not 
only  "  an  enterprising  Englishman,"  but  that  he  is  also 
a  generous,  noble-hearted  man,  —  one  who  in  a  great 
struggle  like  the  late  civil  war  in  America,  could  sin 
cerely  sympathize  with  suffering  humanity,  notwith 
standing,  as  he  expressed  it,  "  the  American  war  has 
made  sad  havoc  in  our  trade."  His  soul  soars  above 
"  pounds,  shillings  and  pence  ";  and  I  take  great  pleasure 
in  expressing  admiration  for  a  gentleman  of  such  marked 
enterprise,  philanthropy  and  integrity. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

KICHARD'S  HIMSELF  AGAIK 


AT  HOME  —  EXTINGUISHMENT  OF  THE   CLOCK  DEBTS  —  A  RASCALLY  PROPOSITION 

—  BARNUM  ON  HIS  FEET  AGAIN  —  RE-PURCHASE   OF   THE    MUSEUM — A  GALA 
PAY  —  MY    RECEPTION    BY    MY    FRIENDS  —  THE    STORY    OF    MY    TROUBLES  — 
HOW  I  WADED   ASHORE  —  PROMISES  TO   THE   PUBLIC  —  THE   PUBLIC  RESPONSE 

—  MUSEUM  VISITORS  —  THE   RECEIPTS   DOUBLED  —  HOW  THE  PRESS   RECEIVED 
THE   NEWS   OF   RESTORATION  —  THE     SYCOPHANTS  —  OLD     AND    FAST    FRIENDS 

—  ROBERT     BONNER  —  CONSIDERATION  AND  COURTESY    OF     CREDITORS  —  THE 
BOSTON   SATURDAY  EVENING   GAZETTE  AGAIN  —  ANOTHER  WORD  FOR  BARNUM. 


IN  1859  I  returned  to  the  United  States.  During  my 
last  visit  abroad  I  had  secured  many  novelties  for  the 
Museum,  including  the  Albino  Family,  which  I  engaged 
at  Amsterdam,  and  Thiodon's  mechanical  theatre,  which 
I  found  at  Southampton,  beside  purchasing  many  curi 
osities.  These  things  all  afforded  me  a  liberal  commis 
sion,  and  thus,  by  constant  and  earnest  effort,  I  made 
much  money,  besides  what  I  derived  from  the  Tom 
Thumb  exhibitions,  my  lectures,  and  other  enterprises. 
All  of  this  money,  as  well  as  my  wife's  income  and  a 
considerable  sum  raised  by  selling  a  portion  of  her 
property,  was  faithfully  devoted  to  the  one  great  object 
of  my  life  at  that  period  —  my  extrication  from  those 
crushing  clock  debts.  I  worked  and  I  saved.  When  my 
wife  and  youngest  daughter  were  not  boarding  in  Bridge 
port,  they  lived  frugally  in  the  suburbs,  in  a  small  one- 
story  house  which  was  hired  at  the  rate  of  $150  a  year. 
I  had  now  been  struggling  about  four  years  with  the 
difficulties  of  my  one  great  financial  mistake,  and  the  end 


RICHARD'S  HIMSELF  AGAIN.  517 

still  seemed  to  be  far  off.  I  felt  that  the  land,  purchased 
by  my  wife  in  East  Bridgeport  at  the  assignees'  sale, 
would,  after  a  while,  increase  rapidly  in  value ;  and  on 
the  strength  of  this  expectation  more  money  was  bor 
rowed  for  the  sake  of  taking  up  the  clock  notes,  and 
some  of  the  East  Bridgeport  property  was  sold  in  single 
lots,  the  proceeds  going  to  the  same  object. 

At  last,  in  March  1860,  all  the  clock  indebtedness 
was  satisfactorily  extinguished,  excepting  some  $20,000 
which  I  had  bound  myself  to  take  up  within  a  certain 
number  of  months,  my  friend,  James  D.  Johnson,  guaran 
teeing  my  bond  to  that  effect.  Mr.  Johnson  was  by 
far  my  most  effective  agent  in  working  me  through  these 
clock  troubles,  and  in  aiding  to  bring  them  to  a  success 
ful  conclusion.  Another  man,  however,  who  pretended 
to  be  my  friend,  and  whom  I  liberally  paid  to  assist  in 
bringing  me  out  of  my  difficulties,  gained  my  confidence, 
possessed  himself  of  a  complete  knowledge  of  the 
situation  of  my  affairs,  and  then  coolly  proposed  to  Mr. 
Johnson  to  counteract  all  my  efforts  to  get  out  of  debt, 
and  to  divide  between  them  what  could  be  got  out  of 
my  estate.  Failing  in  this,  the  scoundrel,  taking  advan 
tage  of  the  confidence  reposed  in  him.  slyly  arranged 
with  the  owners  of  clock  notes  to  hold  on  to  them,  and 
share  with  him  whatever  they  might  gain  by  adopting 
his  advice,  he  assuming  that  he  knew  all  my  secrets  and 
that  I  would  soon  come  out  all  right  again.  Thus  I 
had  to  contend  with  foes  from  within  as  well  as  without ; 
but  the  "  spotting  "  of  this  traitor  was  worth  something, 
for  it  opened  my  eyes  in  relation  to  former  transactions 
in  which  I  had  intrusted  large  sums  of  money  to  his 
hands,  and  it  put  me  on  guard  for  the  future.  But  I 
bear  no  malice  towards  him  ;  I  only  pity  him,  as  I  do 


518  KICHAKD'S   HIMSELF  AGAIN. 

any  man  who  knows  so  little  of  the  true  road  to 
contentment  and  happiness  as  to  think  that  it  lies  in  the 
direction  of  dishonesty.  * 

I  need  not  dwell  upon  the  details  of  what  I  suffered 
from  the  doings  of  those  heartless,  unscrupulous  men 
who  fatten  upon  the  misfortunes  of  others.  It  is 
enough  to  say  that  I  triumphed  over  them  and  all  my 
troubles.  I  was  once  more  a  free  man.  At  last  I  was 
able  to  make  proclamation  that  "  Richard's  himself 
again  "  ;  that  Barnum  was  once  more  on  his  feet.  The 
Museum  had  not  flourished  greatly  in  the  hands 
of  Messrs.  Greenwood  &  Butler,  and  so,  when  I  was 
free,  I  was  quite  willing  to  take  back  the  property 
upon  terms  that  were  entirely  satisfactory  to  them. 
I  had  once  retired  from  the  establishment  a  man  of 
independent  fortune ;  I  was  now  ready  to  return,  to 
make,  if  possible,  another  fortune. 

On  the  17th  of  March,  1860,  Messrs.  Butler  &  Green 
wood  signed  an  agreement  to  sell  and  deliver  to  me  on 
the  following  Saturday,  March  24th,  their  good  will 
and  entire  interest  in  the  Museum  collection.  This 
fact  was  thoroughly  circulated  and  it  was  everywhere 
announced  in  blazing  posters,  placards  and  advertise 
ments  which  were  headed,  "  Barnum  on  his  feet 
again."  It  was  furthermore  stated  that  the  Museum 
would  be  closed,  March  24th,  for  one  week  for  repairs 
and  general  renovation,  to  be  re-opened,  March  31st, 
under  the  management  and  proprietorship  of  its 
original  owner.  It  was  also  announced  that  on  the 
night  of  closing  I  would  address  the  audience  from  the 
stage. 

The  American  Museum,  decorated  on  that  occasion, 
as  on  holidays,  with  a  brilliant  display  of  nags  and 


BICHARD'S  HIMSELF  AGAIN.  519 

banners,  was  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity,  and  I  expe 
rienced  profound  delight  at  seeing  hundreds  of  old 
friends  of  both  sexes  in  the  audience.  I  lacked  but 
four  months  of  being  fifty  years  of  age  ;  but  I  felt  all 
the  vigor  and  ambition  that  fired  me  when  I  first  took 
possession  of  the  premises  twenty  years  before  ;  and 
I  was  confident  that  the  various  experiences  of  that 
score  of  years  would  be  valuable  to  me  in  my  second 
effort  to  secure  an  independence. 

At  the  rising  of  the  curtain  and  before  the  play  com 
menced,  I  stepped  on  the  stage  and  was  received  by 
the  large  and  brilliant  audience  with  an  enthusiasm 
far  surpassing  anything  of  the  kind  I  had  ever  experi 
enced  or  witnessed  in  a  public  career  of  a  quarter  of  a 
century.  Indeed,  this  tremendous  demonstration  nearly 
broke  me  down,  and  my  voice  faltered  and  tears  came 
to  my  eyes  as  I  thought  of  this  magnificent  conclusion 
to  the  trials  and  struggles  of  the  past  four  years. 
Recovering  myself,  however,  I  bowed  my  grateful 
acknowledgments  for  the  reception,  and  addressed  the 
audience  as  follows: 

"  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN  :  I  should  be  more  or  less 
than  human,  if  I  could  meet  this  unexpected  and  over 
whelming  testimonial  at  your  hands,  without  the  deep 
est  emotion.  My  own  personal  connection  with  the 
Museum  is  now  resumed,  and  I  avail  myself  of  the 
circumstance  to  say  why  it  is  so.  Never  did  I  feel 
stronger  in  my  worldly  prosperity  than  in  September, 
1855.  Three  months  later,  I  was  so  deeply  embarrassed 
that  I  felt  certain  of  nothing,  except  the  uncertainty  of 
everything.  A  combination  of  singular  efforts  and  cir 
cumstances  tempted  me  to  put  faith  in  a  certain  clock 
manufacturing  company,  and  I  placed  my  signature  to 


520  RICHARD'S  HIMSELF  AGAIN. 

papers  which  ultimately  broke  me  down.  After  nearly 
five  years  of  hard  struggle  to  keep  my  head  above 
water,  I  have  touched  bottom  at  last,  and  here,  to-night, 
I  am  happy  to  announce  that  I  have  waded  ashore. 
Every  clock  debt  of  which  I  have  any  knowledge  lias 
been  provided  for.  Perhaps,  after  the  troubles  and  tur 
moils  I  have  experienced,  I  should  feel  no  desire  to 
re-engage  in  the  excitements  of  business,  but  a  man 
like  myself,  less  than  fifty  years  of  age,  and  enjoying 
robust  health,  is  scarcely  old  enough  to  be  embalmed 
and  put  in  a  glass  case  in  the  Museum  as  one  of  its 
million  of  curiosities.  '  It  is  better  to  wear  out  than 
rust  out.'  Besides,  if  a  man  of  active  temperament  is 
not  busy,  he  is  apt  to  get  into  mischief.  To  avoid  evil, 
therefore,  and  since  business  activity  is  a  necessity  of 
my  nature,  here  I  am,  once  more,  in  the  Museum,  and 
among  those  with  whom  I  have  been  so  lon<?  and  so 

o  o 

pleasantly  identified.  I  am  confident  of  a  cordial  wel 
come,  and  hence  feel  some  claim  to  your  indulgence 
while  I  briefly  allude  to  the  means  of  my  present  deliv 
erance  from  utter  financial  ruin.  Need  I  say,  in  the 
first  place,  that  I  am  somewhat  indebted  to  the  forbear 
ance  of  generous  creditors.  In  the  next  place,  permit 
me  to  speak  of  sympathizing  friends,  whose  volunteered 
loans  and  exertions  vastly  aided  my  rescue.  When  my 
day  of  sorrow  came,  I  first  paid  or  secured  every  debt 
I  owed  of  a  personal  nature.  This  done,  I  felt  bound 
in  honor  to  give  up  all  of  my  property  that  remained 
towards  liquidating  my  "  clock  debts."  I  placed  it  in 
the  hands  of  trustees  and  receivers  for  the  benefit  of  all 
the  "  clock  "  creditors.  But,  at  the  forced  sale  of  my 
Connecticut  real  estate,  there  was  a  purchaser  behind 
the  screen,  of  whom  the  world  had  little  knowledge, 


RICHARD'S  HIMSELF  AGADT.  521 

Tn  the  day  of  my  prosperity  I  made  over  to  my  wife 
much  valuable  property,  including  the  lease  of  this 
Museum  building,  —  a  lease  then  having  about  twenty- 
two  years  to  run,  and  enhanced  in  value  to  more  than 
double  its  original  worth.  I  sold  the  Museum  collection 
to  Messrs.  Greenwood  and  Butler,  subject  to  my  wife's 
separate  interest  in  the  lease,  and  she  has  received  more 
than  eighty  thousand  dollars  over  and  above  the  sums 
paid  to  the  owners  of  the  building.  Instead  of  selfishly 
applying  this  amount  to  private  purposes,  my  family 
lived  with  a  due  regard  to  economy,  and  the  savings 
(strictly  belonging  to  my  wife)  were  devoted  to  buying 
in  portions  of  my  estate  at  the  assignees'  sales,  and  to 
purchasing  "  clock  notes "  bearing  my  indorsements. 
The  Christian  name  of  my  wife  is  Charity.  I  may  well 
acknowledge,  therefore,  that  I  am  not  only  a  proper 
'  subject  of  charity,'  but  that  '  without  Charity,  I  am 
nothing/ 

"  But,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  while  Charity  thus  labored 
in  my  behalf,  Faith  and  Hope  were  not  idle.  I  have 
been  anything  but  indolent  during  the  last  four  years. 
Driven  from  pillar  to  post,  and  annoyed  beyond  descrip 
tion  by  all  sorts  of  legal  claims  and  writs,  I  was  perusing 
protests  and  summonses  by  day,  and  dreaming  of  clocks 
run  down  by  night.  My  head  was  ever  whizzing  with 
dislocated  cog-wheels  and  broken  main-springs;  my 
whole  mind  (and  my  credit)  was  running  upon  tick,  and 
everything  pressing  on  me  like  a  dead  weight 

In  this  state  of  affairs  I  felt  that  I  was  of  no  use  on 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic ;  so,  giving  the  pendulum  a 
swing,  and  seizing  time  by  the  forelock,  I  went  to 
Europe.  There  I  furtively  pulled  the  wires  of  several 
exhibitions,  among  which  that  of  Tom  Thumb  may  be 

24 


BICHARD'S  HIMSELF  AGAIK, 

mentioned  for  example.  I  managed  a  variety  of  musical 
and  commercial  speculations  in  Great  Britain,  Germany, 
and  Holland.  These  enterprises,  together  with  the  net 
profits  of  my  public  lectures,  enabled  me  to  remit  large 
sums  to  confidential  agents  for  the  purchase  of  my  obli 
gations.  In  this  manner,  I  quietly  extinguished,  little 
by  little,  every  dollar  of  my  clock  liabilities.  I  could 
not  have  achieved  this  difficult  feat,  however,  without 
the  able  assistance  of  enthusiastic  friends,  —  and  among 
the  chief  of  them  let  me  gratefully  acknowledge  the 
invaluable  services  of  Mr.  James  D.  Johnson,  a  gentle 
man  of  wealth,  in  Bridgeport,  Connecticut.  Other 
gentlemen  have  been  generous  with  me.  Some  have 
loaned  me  large  sums,  without  security,  and  have  placed 
me  under  obligations  which  must  ever  command  my 
honest  gratitude ;  but  Mr.  Johnson  has  been  a  '  friend 
indeed,'  for  he  has  been  truly  a- '  friend  in  need.' 

"  You  must  not  infer,  from  what  I  have  said,  that  I 
have  completely  recovered  from  the  stunning  blow  to 
which  I  was  subjected  four  years  ago.  I  have  lost 
more  in  the  way  of  tens  of  thousands,  yes,  hundreds  of 
thousands,  than  I  care  to  remember.  A  valuable  portion 
of  my  real  estate  in  Connecticut,  however,  has  been 
preserved,  and  as  I  feel  all  the  ardor  of  twenty  years 
ago,  and  the  prospect  here  is  so  flattering,  my  heart 
is  animated  with  the  hope  of  ultimately,  by  enterprise 
and  activity,  obliterating  unpleasant  reminiscences,  and 
retrieving  the  losses  of  the  past.  Experience,  too,  has 
taught  me  not  only  that  even  in  the  matter  of  money, 
'  enough  is  as  good  as  a  feast,'  but  that  there  are,  in 
this  world,  some  things  vastly  better  than  the  Almighty 
Dollar !  Possibly  I  may  contemplate,  at  times,  the 
painful  day  when  I  said :  '  Othello's  occupation's 


EICHAED'S  HIMSELF  AGAIN.  523 

gone  ; '  but  I  shall  more  frequently  cherish  the  memory 
of  this  moment,  when  I  am  permitted  to  announce  that 
4  Richard's  himself  again/ 

"  Many  people  have  wondered  that  a  man  considered 
so  acute  as  myself  should  have  been  deluded  into 
embarrassments  like  mine,  and  not  a  few  have  declared, 
in  short  metre,  that  '  Barnum  was  a  fool/  I  can  only 
reply  that  I  never  made  pretensions  to  the  sharpness  of 
a  pawn-broker,  and  I  hope  I  shall  never  so  entirely  lose 
confidence  in  human  nature  as  to  consider  every  man  a 
scamp  by  instinct,  or  a  rogue  by  necessity.  '  It  is  better 
to  be  deceived  sometimes,  than  to  distrust  always,'  says 
Lord  Bacon,  and  I  agree  with  him. 

"•  Experience  is  said  to  be  a  hard  schoolmaster,  but  I 
should  be  sorry  to  feel  that  this  great  lesson  in  adversity 
has  not  brought  forth  fruits  of  some  value.  I  needed 
the  discipline  this  tribulation  has  given  me,  and  I  really 
feel,  after  all,  that  this,  like  many  other  apparent 
evils,  was  only  a  blessing  in  disguise.  Indeed,  I  may 
mention  that  the  very  clock  factory  which  I  built  in 
Bridgeport,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  hundreds  of 
workmen  to  that  city,  has  been  purchased  and  qua 
drupled  in  size  by  the  Wheeler  and  Wilson  Sewing 
Machine  Company,  and  is  now  filled  with  intelligent 
New  England  mechanics,  whose  families  add  two  thou 
sand  to  the  population,  and  who  are  doing  a  great  work 
in  building  up  and  beautifying  that  flourishing  city.  So 
that  the  same  concern  which  prostrated  me  seerns 
destined  as  a  most  important  agent  towards  my  recuper 
ation.  I  am  certain  that  the  popular  sympathy  has 
been  with  me  from  the  beginning ;  and  this,  together  with 
a  consciousness  of  rectitude,  is  more  than  an  offset  to 
all  the  vicissitudes  to  which  I  have  been  subjected. 


524  RICHARD'S  HIMSELF  AGAIN. 

"  In  conclusion,  I  beg  to  assure  you  and  the  public  that 
my  chief  pleasure,  while  health  and  strength  are  spared 
me,  will  be  to  cater  for  your  and  their  healthy  amuse 
ment  and  instruction.  In  future,  such  capabilities  as  I 
possess  will  be  devoted  to  the  maintenance  of  this 
Museum  as  a  popular  place  of  family  resort,  in  which 
all  that  is  novel  and  interesting  shall  be  gathered  from 
the  four  quarters  of  the  globe,  and  which  ladies  and 
children  may  visit  at  all  times  unattended,  without 
danger  of  encountering  anything  of  an  objectionable 
nature.  The  dramas  introduced  in  the  Lecture  Room 
will  never  contain  a  profane  expression  or  a  vulgar 
allusion ;  on  the  contrary,  their  tendency  will  always  be 
to  encourage  virtue,  and  frown  upon  vice. 

"I  have  established  connections  in  Europe,  which  will 
enable  me  to  produce  here  a  succession  of  interesting 
novelties  otherwise  inaccessible.  Although  I  shall  be 
personally  present  much  of  the  time,  and  hope  to  meet 
many  of  my  old  acquaintances,  as  well  as  to  form  many 
new  ones,  I  am  sure  you  will  be  glad  to  learn  that  I 
have  re-secured  the  services  of  one  of  the  late  proprie 
tors,  and  the  active  manager  of  this  Museum,  Mr.  John 
Greenwood,  Jr.  As  he  is  a  modest  gentleman,  who 
would  be  the  last  to  praise  himself,  allow  me  to  add 
that  he  is  one  to  whose  successful  qualities  as  a  caterer 
for  the  popular  entertainments,  the  crowds  that  have 
often  filled  this  building  may  well  bear  testimony.  But, 
more  than  this,  he  is  the  unobtrusive  one  to  whose 
integrity,  diligence  and  devotion,  I  owe  much  of  my 
present  position  of  self-congratulation.  Mr.  Greenwood 
will  hereafter  act  as  assistant  manager,  while  his  late 
co-partner,  Mr.  Butler,  has  engaged  in  another  branch 
of  business.  Once  more,  thanking  you  all  for  your 


HICHAIID'S  HIMSELF  AGAIK  52^ 

kind  welcome,  I  bid  you,  till  the  re-opening,  *  an  affec 
tionate  adieu.' " 

This  off-hand  speech  was  received  with  almost  tumult 
uous  applause.  At  nearly  fifty  years  of  age,  I  was  now 
once  more  before  the  public  with  the  promise  to  put 
on  a  full  head  of  steam,  to  "  rush  things,"  to  give 
double  or  treble  the  amount  of  attractions  ever  before 
offered  at  the  Museum,  and  to  devote  all  my  own  time 
and  services  to  the  enterprise.  In  return,  I  asked  that 
the  public  should  give  my  efforts  the  patronage  they 
merited,  and  the  public  took  me  at  my  word.  The 
daily  number  of  visitors  at  once  more  than  doubled, 
and  my  exertions  to  gratify  them  with  rapid  changes 
and  novelties  never  tired. 

The  announcement  that  "  Eichard's  himself  again  "  — . 
that  I  was  at  last  out  of  the  financial  entanglement — was 
variously  received  in  the  community.  That  portion  of 
the  press  which  had  followed  me  with  abuse  when  I  was 
down,  under  the  belief  that  my  case  was  past  recov 
ery,  were  chary  in  allusions  to  the  new  state  of  things, 
or  passed  them  over  without  comment.  The  sycophants 
always  knew  I  would  get  up  again,  "  and  said  so  at  the 
time ; "  the  many  and  noble  journals  which  had  stood 
by  me  and  upheld  me  in  my  misfortunes,  were  of  course 
rejoiced,  and  their  words  of  sincere  congratulation  gave 
me  a  higher  satisfaction  than  I  have  power  of  language 
to  acknowledge.  Letters  of  congratulation  came  in  upon 
me  from  every  quarter.  Friendly  hands  that  had  never 
been  withheld  during  the  long  period  of  my  misfortune, 
wrere  now  extended  with  a  still  heartier  grip.  I  never 
knew  till  now  the  warmth  and  number  of  my  friends. 

My  editorial  friend,  Mr.  Kobert  Bonner,  of  the  New 
York  Ledger,  sincerely  congratulated  me  upon  my  full 


526  RICHARD'S  HIMSELF  AGAIH. 

and  complete  restoration.  I  had  some  new  plays  which 
were  adapted  from  very  popular  stories  which  had  been 
written  for  Mr.  Bonner's  paper,  and  I  went  to  him  to  pur 
chase,  if  I  could,  the  large  cuts  he  had  used  to  advertise 
these  stories  in  his  street  placards.  He  at  once  generously 
offered  to  lend  them  to  me  as  long  as  I  wished  to  use 
them  and  tendered  me  his  services  in  any  way.  Mr. 
Bonner  was  the  boldest  of  advertisers,  following  me 
closely  in  the  field  in  which  I  was  the  pioneer,  and  to 
his  judicious  use  of  printers'  ink,  he  owes  the  fine  for 
tune  which  he  so  worthily  deserves  and  enjoys. 

Nor  must  I  neglect  to  state  that  a  large  number  of 
my  creditors  who  held  the  clock  notes,  proved  very  mag 
nanimous  in  taking  into  consideration  the  gross  deception 
which  had  put  me  in  their  power.  Not  a  few  of  them 
said  to  me  in  substance :  "  you  never  supposed  you  had 
made  yourself  liable  for  this  debt ;  you  were  deluded 
into  it ;  it  is  not  right  that  it  should  be  held  over  you  to 
keep  you  hopelessly  down;  take- it,  and' pay  me  such  per 
centage  as,  under  the  circumstances,  it  is  possible  for 
you  to  pay."  But  for  such  men  and  such  consideration 
I  fear  I  should  never  have  got  on  my  feet  again;  and  of 
the  many  who  rejoiced  in  my  bettered  fortune,  not  a  few 
were  of  this  class  of  my  creditors. 

My  old  friend,  the  Boston  Saturday  Evening  Gazette, 
which  printed  a  few  cheering  poetical  lines  of  consola 
tion  and  hope  when  I  was  down,  now  gave  me  the  fol 
lowing  from  the  same  graceful  pen,  conveying  glowing 
words  of  congratulation  at  my  rise  again : 

ANOTHER  WORD  FOR  BARNUM. 

BARNUM,  your  hand  !    The  struggle  o'er, 

You  face  the  world  and  ask  no  favor  ; 
You  stand  where  you  have  stood  before, 

The  old  salt  hasn't  lost  its  savor. 


RICHARD'S  HIMSELF  AGAIN.  527 

You  now  can  laugh  with  friends,  at  foes, 

Ne'er  heeding  Mrs.  Grundy's  tattle  ; 
You've  dealt  and  taken  sturdy  blows, 

Regardless  of  the  rabble's  prattle. 

Not  yours  the  heart  to  harbor  ill 

'  Gainst  those  who've  dealt  in  trivial  jesting ; 
You  pass  them  with  the  same  good  will 

Erst  shown  when  they  their  wit  were  testing. 
You're  the  same  Barnum  that  we  knew, 

You're  good  for  years,  still  fit  for  labor, 
Be  as  of  old,  be  bold  and  true, 

Honest  as  man,  as  friend,  as  neighbor. 

^-yv^or  r"^  imrf'J-yvijst  f«r»5  /*h  u-»lT 

At  about  this  period,  the  following  poem  was  pub 
lished  in  a  Potts  ville,  Pa.,  paper,  and  copied  by  many 
journals  of  the  day: 

A  HEALTH  TO  BARNUM. 

COMPANIONS  !  fill  your  glasses  round, 

And  drink  a  health  to  one 
Who  has  few  coming  after  him, 

To  do  as  he  has  done  ; 
"Who  made  a  fortune  for  himself, 

Made  fortunes,  too,  for  many, 
Yet  wronged  no  bosom  of  a  sigh, 

No  pocket  of  a  penny. 
Come  !  shout  a  gallant  chorus, 

And  make  the  glasses  ring,  — 
Here's  health  and  luck  to  Barimra! 

The  Exhibition  King. 

Who  lured  the  Swedish  Nightingale 

To  Western  woods  to  come? 
Who  prosperous  and  happy  made 

The  life  of  little  Thumb? 
Who  oped  Amusement's  golden  door 

So  cheaply  to  the  crowd, 
|  And  taught  Morality  to  smile 

On  all  his  stage  allowed? 
Come !  shout  a  gallant  chorus, 

Until  the  glasses  ring,  — 
Here's  health  and  luck  to  Barnum! 

The  Exhibition  King. 

And  when  the  sad  reverses  came, 

As  come  they  may  to  all, 
Who  stood  a  Hero,  bold  and  true, 

Amid  his  fortune's  fall? 


528  HICHARD'S  HIMSELF  AGAIK. 

"Who  to  the  utmost  yielded  up 

What  Honor  could  not  keep, 
Then  took  the  field  of  life  again 

With  courage  calm  and  deep? 
Come !  shout  a  gallant  chorus, 
it..  Until  the  glasses  danee, — 

Here's  health  and  luck  to  Barnum, 

The  Napoleon  of  Finance. 

*      ? 

Yet,  no  —  our  hero  would  not  look 

With  smiles  on  suoh  a  cup ; 
Throw  out  the  wine  —  with  water  clear, 

Fill  the  pure  crystal  up. 
Then  rise,  and  greet  with  deep  respect, 

The  courage  he  has  shown, 
And  drink  to  him  who  well  deserves 

A  seat  on  Fortune's  throne. 
Here's  health  and  luck  to  Barnum  1 

An  Elba  he  has  seen, 
And  never  may  his  map  of  life 

Display  a  St.  Helcm! 

PHILADELPHIA.  j&is.  ANNA  BACHB. 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

MENAGEEIE  AND  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA. 

A  REMARKABLE  CHARACTER  —  OLD  GRTZ/LY  ADAMS  —  THE  CALIFORNIA  MENAGE 
RIE —  TERRIBLY  WOUNDED  BY  BEARS  —  MY  UP-TOWNSHOW —  EXTRAORDI 
NARY  WILL  AND  VIGOR  —  A  LESSON  FOR  MUNCHAUSEN  —  THE  CALIFORNIA 
GOLDEN  PIGEONS  —  PIGEONS  OF  ALL  COLORS  —  PROCESS  OF  THEIR  CREATION 

—  M.      GUILLAUDEU  —  A     NATURALIST     DECEIVED  —  THE     MOST      WONDERFUL 
BIRDS   IN  THE   WORLD  —  THE   CURIOSITIES   TRANSFERRED   TO  THE  MENAGERIE 

—  OLD   ADAMS   TAKEN  IN  —  A   CHANGE   OF   COLOR  —  MOTLEY  THE   ONLY  WKAIf 

—  OLD   GRIZZLY    UNDECEIVED  —  TOUR    OF    THE    BEAR-TAMER   THROUGH    THK 
COUNTRY  —  A  BEAUTIFUL  HUNTING   SUIT  —  A  LIFE  AND  DEATH  STRUGGLE  FOR 
A   WAGER  —  OLD  ADAMS   WINS  —  HIS   DEATH  —  THE   LAST  JOKE  ON  BARNUM  — 
THE   PRINCE   OF     WALES   VISITS    THE    MUSEUM  —  I   CALL     ON    THE    PRINCE    IN 
BOSTON  —  STEPHEN   A.    DOUGLAS  —  "  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  "  IN  A  BARBER  SHOP 

—  HOW  TOM  HIGGINSON   "DID"    BARNUM — THE  MUSEUM  FLOURISHING. 

I  WAS  now  fairly  embarked  on  board  the  good  old 
ship  American  Museum,  to  try  once  more  my  skill  as 
captain,  and  to  see  what  fortune  the  voyage  would  bring 
me.  Curiosities  began  to  pour  into  the  Museum  halls, 
and  I  was  eager  for  enterprises  in  the  show  line, 
whether  as  part  of  the  Museum  itself,  or  as  outside 
accessories  or  accompaniments.  Among  the  first  to 
give  me  a  call,  with  attractions  sure  to  prove  a  success, 
was  James  C.  Adams,  of  hard-earned,  grizzly-bear  fame. 
This  extraordinary  man  was  eminently  what  is  called 
"  a  character."  He  was  universally  known  as  tf  Grizzly 
Adams,"  from  the  fact  that  he  had  captured  a  great 
many  grizzly  bears,  at  the  risk  and  cost  of  fearful 
encounters  and  perils.  He  was  brave,  and  with  his 

bravery  there  was  enough  of  the  romantic  in  his  nature 
24* 


530      MENAGERIE  AND  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA. 

to  make  him  a  real  hero.  For  many  years  a  hunter  and 
trapper  in  the  Rocky  and  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  he 
acquired  a  recklessness,  which,  added  to  his  natural 
invincible  courage,  rendered  him  one  of  the  most  strik 
ing  men  of  the  age,  and  he  was  emphatically  a  man  of 
pluck.  A  month  after  I  had  re-purchased  the  Museum, 
he  arrived  in  New  York  with  his  famous  collection  of 
California  animals,  captured  by  himself,  consisting  of 
twenty  or  thirty  immense  grizzly  bears,  at  the  head  of 
which  stood  "  Old  Sampson,"  together'  with  several 
wolves,  half  a  dozen  different  species  of  California  bears, 
California  lions,  tigers,  buffalo,  elk,  and  "  Old  Nep 
tune,"  the  great  sea-lion  from  the  Pacific. 

Old  Adams  had  trained  all  these  monsters  so  that  with 
him  they  were  as  docile  as  kittens,  though  many  of  the 
most  ferocious  among  them  would  attack  a  stranger 
without  hesitation,  if  he  came  within  their  grasp.  In 
fact  the  training  of  these  animals  was  no  fool's  play,  as 
Old  Adams  learned  to  his  cost,  for  the  terrific  blows 
which  he  received  from  time  to  time,  while  teaching 
them  "  docility,"  finally  cost  him  his  life. 

Adams  called  on  me  immediately  on  his  arrival  in 
New  York.  He  was  dressed  in  his  hunter's  suit  of 
buckskin,  trimmed  with  the  skins  and  bordered  with  the 
hanging  tails  of  small  Eocky  Mountain  animals ;  his 
cap  consisting  of  the  skin  of  a  wolf's  head  and 
shoulders,  from  which  depended  several  tails,  and  under 
which  appeared  his  stiff,  bushy,  gray  hair  and  his  long, 
white,  grizzly  beard  ;  in  fact  Old  Adams  was  quite  as 
much  of  a  show  as  his  beasts.  They  had  come  around 
Cape  Horn  on  the  clipper  ship  "  Golden  Fleece,"  and  a 
sea  voyage  of  three  and  a  half  months  had  probably 
not  added  much  to  the  beauty  or  neat  appearance  of 


MENAGERIE  AND  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA.      531 

the  old  bear-hunter.  During  our  conversation,  Grizzly 
Adams  took  off  his  cap,  and  showed  me  the  top  of  his 
head.  His  skull  was  literally  broken  in.  It  had  on 
various  occasions  been  struck  by  the  fearful  paws  of  his 
grizzly  students ;  and  the  last  blow,  from  the  bear  called 
"  General  Fremont,"  had  laid  open  his  brain  so  that  its 
workings  were  plainly  visible.  I  remarked  that  I 
thought  it  was  a  dangerous  wound  and  might  possibly 
prove  fatal. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Adams,  "  that  will  fix  me  out.  It  had 
nearly  healed  ;  but  old  Fremont  opened  it  for  me,  for 
the  third  or  fourth  time,  before  I  left  California,  and 
he  did  his  business  so  thoroughly,  I'm  a  used-up  man. 
However  I  reckon  I  may  live  six  months  or  a  year 
yet."  This  was  spoken  as  coolly  as  if  he  had  been 
talking  about  the  life  of  a  dog.  The  immediate  object 
of  "  old  Adams "  in  calling  upon  me  was  this ;  I  had 
purchased,  a  week  previously,  one-half  interest  in  his 
California  menagerie,  from  a  man  who  had  come  by 
way  of  the  Isthmus  from  California,  and  who  claimed 
to  own  an  equal  interest  with  Adams  in  the  show. 
Adams  declared  that  the  man  had  only  advanced  him 
some  money,  and  did  not  possess  the  right  to  sell 
half  of  the  concern.  However,  the  man  held  a  bill 
of  sale  for  half  of  the  "  California  Menagerie,"  and 
old  Adams  finally  consented  to  accept  me  as  an  equal 
partner  in  the  speculation,  saying  that  he  guessed  I 
could  do  the  managing  part,  and  he  would  show  up 
the  animals.  I  obtained  a  canvas  tent,  and  erecting 
it  on  the  present  site  of  Wallack's  Theatre,  Adams 
there  opened  his  novel  California  Menagerie.  On  the 
morning  of  opening,  a  band  of  music  preceded  a  pro 
cession  of  animal  cages  down  Broadway  and  up  the 


532  MENAGERIE  AND  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA. 

Bowery,  old  Adams  dressed  in  his  hunting  costume, 
heading  the  line,  with  a  platform  wagon  on  which  were 
placed  three  immense  grizzly  bears,  two  of  which  he 
held  by  chains,  while  he  was  mounted  on  the  back  of 
the  largest  grizzly,  which  stood  in  the  centre  and  was 
not  secured  in  any  manner  whatever.  This  was  the  bear 
known  as  tc  General  Fremont,"  and  so  docile  had  he 
become,  that  Adams  said  he  had  used  him  as  a  pack- 
bear  to  carry  his  cooking  and  hunting  apparatus  through 
the  mountains  for  six  months,  and  had  ridden  him  hun 
dreds  of  miles.  But  apparently  docile  as  wore  many 
of  these  animals,  there  was  not  one  among  them  that 
would  not  occasionally  give  Adams  a  sly  blow  or  a  sly 
bite  when  a  good  chance  offered  ;  hence  old  Adams 
was  but  a  wreck  of  his  former  self,  and  expressed 
pretty  nearly  the  truth  when  he  said  : 

"Mr.  Barnum,  I  am  not  the  man  I  was  five  years 
ago.  Then  I  felt  able  to  stand  the  hug  of  any  griz 
zly  living,  and  was  always  glad  to  encounter,  single 
handed,  any  sort  of  an  animal  that  dared  present  him 
self.  But  I  have  been  beaten  to  a  jelly,  torn  almost 
limb  from  limb,  and  nearly  chawed  up  and  spit  out  by 
these  treacherous  grizzly  bears.  However,  I  am  good 
for  a  few  months  yet,  and  by  that  time  I  hope  we  shall 
gain  enough  to  make  my  old  woman  comfortable,  for  I 
have  been  absent  from  her  some  years." 

His  wife  came  from  Massachusetts  to  New  York  and 
nursed  him.  Dr.  Johns  dressed  his  wounds  every  day, 
and  not  only  told  Adams  he  could  never  recover,  but 
assured  his  friends,  that  probably  a  very  few  weeks 
would  lay  him  in  his  grave.  But  Adams  was  as  firm  as 
adamant  and  as  resolute  as  a  lion.  Among  the  thousands 
who  saw  him  dressed  in  his  grotesque  hunter's  suit, 


MENAGEEIE  AND  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA.  533 

and  witnessed  the  seeming  vigor  with  which  he  "  per 
formed"  the  savage  monsters,  beating  and  whipping 
them  into  apparently  the  most  perfect  docility,  probably 
not  one  suspected  that  this  rough,  fierce  looking,  power 
ful  demi-savage,  as  he  appeared  to  be,  was  suffering 
intense  pain  from  his  broken  skull  and  fevered  system, 
and  that  nothing  kept  him  from  stretching  himself  on 
his  death-bed  but  his  most  indomitable  and  extraordi 
nary  will. 

Old  Adams  liked  to  astonish  others,  as  he  often  did, 
with  his  astounding  stories,  but  no  one  could  astonish 
him  ;  he  had  seen  everything  and  knew  everything,  and 
I  was  anxious  to  get  a  chance  of  exposing  this  weak 
point  to  him.  A  fit  occasion  soon  presented  itself.  One 
day,  while  engaged  in  my  office  at  the  Museum,  a  man 
with  marked  Teutonic  features  and  accent  approached 
the  door  and  asked  if  I  would  like  to  buy  a  pair  of 
living  golden  pigeons. 

"  Yes,"  I  replied,  "  I  would  like  a  flock  of  golden 
pigeons,  if  I  could  buy  them  for  their  weight  in  silver ; 
for  there  are*  no  '  golden '  pigeons  in  existence,  unless 
they  are  made  from  the  pure  metal.** 

"  You  shall  see  some  golden  pigeons  alive,"  he  replied, 
at  the  same  time  entering  my  office,  and  closing  the  door 
after  him.  He  then  removed  the  lid  from  a  small  bas 
ket  which  he  carried  in  his  hand,  and  sure  enough, 
there  were  snugly  ensconced  a  pair  of  beautiful,  living 
ruff-necked  pigeons,  as  yellow  as  saffron,  and  as  bright 
as  a  double-eagle  fresh  from  the  mint. 

I  confess  I  was  somewhat  staggered  at  this  sight  and 
quickly  asked  the  man  where  those  birds  came  from.  A 
dull,  lazy  smile  crawled  over  the  sober  face  of  my  Ger 
man  visitor,  as  he  replied  in  a  slow,  guttural  torxg ,  of 
voice  i 


534  MENAGEBIE  AKD  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA. 

"  What  you  think  yourself? " 

Catching  his  meaning,  I  quickly  replied: 

"  I  think  it  is.  a  humbug." 

"  Of  course,  I  know  you  will  say  so ;  because  you 
*  forstha '  such  things ;  so  I  shall  not  try  to  humbug  you  ; 
I  have  color  them  myself." 

On  further  inquiry  I  learned  that  this  German  was  a 
chemist,  and  that  he  possessed  the  art  of  coloring  birds 
any  hue  desired,  and  yet  retain  a  natural  gloss  on  the 
feathers,  which  gave  every  shade  the  appearance  of 
reality. 

"  I  can  paint  a  green  pigeon  or  a  blue  pigeon,  a  gray 
pigeon  or  a  black  pigeon,  a  brown  pigeon  or  a  pigeon 
half  blue  or  half  green,"  said  the  German ;  "  and  if  you 
prefer  it,  I  can  paint  them  pink  or  purple,  or  give  you 
a  little  of  each  color,  and  make  you  a  rainbow  pigeon." 

The  "  rainbow  pigeon "  did  not  strike  me  as  partic 
ularly  desirable ;  but  thinking  here  was  a  good  chance 
to  catch  "  Grizzly  Adams,"  I  bought  the  pair  of  golden 
pigeons  for  ten  dollars,  and  sent  them  up  to  the  "  Happy 
Family  "  (where  I  knew  Adams  would  soon  see  them), 
marked,  "  Golden  Pigeons,  from  California."  Mr.  Tay 
lor,  the  great  pacificator,  who  had  charge  of  the  Happy 
Family,  soon  came  down  in  a  state  of  excitement. 

"  Really,  Mr.  Barnum,"  said  he,  "  I  could  not  think 
of  putting  those  elegant  golden  pigeons  into  the  Happy 
Family,  —  they  are  too  valuable  a  bird,  and  they  might 
get  injured  ;  they  are  by  far  the  most  beautiful  pigeons 
I  ever  saw ;  and  as  they  are  so  rare,  I  would  not  jeopar 
dize  their  lives  for  anything." 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  you  may  put  them  in  a  separate 
cage,  properly  labelled." 

Monsieur  Guillaudeu,  the  naturalist  and  taxidermist 


MENAGEBIE  AtfD  MtTSETJM  MEMORANDA.  535 

of  the  Museum,  had  been  attached  to  that  establishment 
since  the  year  it  was  founded,  in  1810.  He  is  a  French 
man,  and  has  read  nearly  everything  upon  natural  his 
tory  that  was  ever  published  in  his  own  or  in  the  Eng 
lish  language.  When  he  saw  the  "Golden  Pigeons 
from  California,"  he  was  considerably  astonished.  He 
examined  them  with  great  delight  for  half  an  hour, 
expatiating  upon  their  beautiful  color  and  the  near 
resemblance  which  every  feature  bore  to  the  American 
ruff-necked  pigeon.  He  soon  came  to  my  office,  and 
said: 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  these  golden  pigeons  are  superb,  but 
they  cannot  be  from  California.  Audubon  mentions  no 
such  bird  in  his  work  upon  American  Ornithology." 

I  told  him  he  had  better  take  Audubon  home  with 
him  that  night,  and  perhaps  by  studying  him  attentively 
he  would  see  occasion  to  change  his  mind. 

The  next  day,  the  old  naturalist  called  at  my  office 
and  remarked : 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  those  pigeons  are  a  more  rare  bird 
than  you  imagine.  They  are  not  mentioned  by  Linnaeus, 
Cuvier,  Goldsmith,  or  any  other  writer  on  natural 
history,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  discover.  I 
expect  they  must  have  come  from  some  unexplored 
portion  of  Australia." 

"  Never  mind,"  I  replied,  "  we  may  get  more  light  on 
the  subject,  perhaps,  before  long.  We  will  continue  to 
label  them  '  California  Pigeons '  until  we  can  fix  their 
nativity  elsewhere." 

The  next  morning,  "  Old  Grizzly  Adams,"  passed 
through  the  Museum  when  his  eyes  fell  on  the  "  Golden 
California  Pigeons."  He  looked  a  moment  and  doubtless 
admired.  He  soon  after  came  to  my  office. 


536  MENAGEKIE  AND  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA. 

"  Mr.  Barnum,"  said  he,"  you  must  let  me  have  those 
California  pigeons." 

"  I  can't  spare  them,"  I  replied. 

"  But  you  must  spare  them.  All  the  birds  and 
animals  from  California  ought  to  be  together.  You 
own  half  of  my  California  menagerie,  and  you  must 
lend  me  those  pigeons." 

"  Mr.  Adams,  they  are  too  rare  and  valuable  a  bird  to 
be  hawked  about  in  that  manner." 

"  Oh,  do  n't  be  a  fool,"  replied  Adams.  "  Eare  bird, 
indeed  !  Why  they  are  just .  as  common  in  California 
as  any  other  pigeon  !  I  could  have  brought  a  hundred 
of  them  from  San  Francisco,  if  I  had  thought  of  it." 

"  But  why  did  you  not  think  of  it?  "  I  asked,  with  a 
suppressed  smile. 

"  Because  they  are  so  common  there,"  said  Adams, 
u  I  did  not  think  they  would  be  any  curiosity  here.  I 
have  eaten  them  in  pigeon-pies  hundreds  of  times,  and 
have  shot  them  by  the  thousands !  " 

I  was  ready  to  burst  with  laughter  to  see  how  a*eadily 
Adams  swallowed  the  bait,  but  maintaining  the  most 
rigid  gravity,  I  replied  : 

"  Oh  well,  Mr.  Adams,  if  they  are  really  so  common 
in  California,  you  had  probably  better  take  them,  and 
you  may  write  over  and  have  half  a  dozen  pairs  sent 
to  me  for  the  Museum." 

"  All  right,"  said  Adams,  "  I  will  send  over  to  a 
friend  in  San  Francisco,  and  you  shall  have  them  here 
in  a  couple  of  months." 

•  I  told  Adams  that,  for  certain  reasons,  I  would  prefer 
to  have  him  change  the  label  so  as  to  have  it  read: 
"  Golden  Pigeons  from  Australia." 

"  Well,  I  will  call  them  what  you  like,"  said  Adams; 


MENAGEBIE  A»D  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA,  537 

"  I  suppose  they  are  probably  about  as  plenty  ill 
Australia  as  they  are  in  California." 

Six  or  eight  weeks  after  this  incident,  I  was  in  the 
California  Menagerie,  and  noticed  that  the  "  Golden 
Pigeons  "  had  assumed  a  frightfully  mottled  appearance. 
Their  feathers  had  grown  out  and  they  were  half 
white.  Adams  had  been  so  busy  with  his  bears  that 
he  had  not  noticed  the  change.  I  called  him  up  to  the 
pigeon  cage,  and  remarked  : 

"Mr.  Adams,  I  fear  you  will  lose  your  Golden 
Pigeons ;  they  must  be  very  sick  ;  I  observe  they  are 
turning  quite  pale/' 

Adams  looked  at  them  a  moment  with  astonishment, 
then  turning  to  me,  and  seeing  that  I  could  not  suppress 
a  smile,  he  indignantly  exclaimed : 

"  Blast  the  Golden  Pigeons  !  You  had  better  take 
them  back  to  the  Museum.  You  can't  humbug  me 
with  your  painted  pigeons  !  " 

This  was  too  much,  and  "  I  laughed  till  I  cried,"  to 
witness  the  mixed  look  of  astonishment  and  vexation 
which  marked  the  grizzly  features  of  old  Adams. 

After  the  exhibition  on  Thirteenth  Street  and  Broad 
way  had  been  open  six  weeks,  the  doctor  insisted  that 
Adams  should  sell  out  his  share  in  the  animals  and 
settle  up  all  his  worldly  affairs,  for  he  assured^  him  that 
he  was  growing  weaker  every  day,  and  his  earthly  exis 
tence  must  soon  terminate.  "  I  shall  live  a  good  deal 
longer  than  you  doctors  think  for,"  replied  Adams 
doggedly ;  and  then,  seeming  after  all  to  realize  the 
truth  of  the  doctor's  assertion,  he  turned  to  me  and  said : 
"  Well,  Mr.  Barnum,  you  must  buy  me  out."  He 
named  his  price  for  his  half  of  the  "  show,"  and  1 
accepted  his  offer.  We  had  arranged  to  exhibit  the 


538  MENAGEEIE  AND  MTTSEtTM  MEMORANDA. 

bears  in  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts  during  the  sum 
mer,  in  connection  with  a  circus,  and  Adams  insisted 
that  I  should  hire  him  to  travel  for  the  season  and 
exhibit  the  bears  in  their  curious  performances.  He 
offered  to  go  for  $60  per  week  and  travelling  expenses 
of  himself  and  wife.  I  replied  that  I  would  gladly 
engage  him  as  long  as  he  could  stand  it,  but  I  advised 
him  to  give  up  business  and  go  to  his  home  in  Massa 
chusetts  ;  "  for,"  I  remarked,  "  you  are  growing  weaker 
every  day,  and  at  best  cannot  stand  it  more  than  a  fort 
night." 

"  What  will  you  give  me  extra  if  I  will  travel  and 
exhibit  the  bears  every  day  for  ten  weeks  ? "  added  old 
Adams,  eagerly. 

"  Five  hundred  dollars,"  I  replied,  with  a  laugh. 

"  Done  !  "  exclaimed  Adams,  "  I  will  do  it,  so  draw 
up  an  agreement  to  that  effect  at  once.  But  mind  you, 
draw  it  payable  to  my  wife,  for  I  may  be  too  weak  to 
attend  to  business  after  the  ten  weeks  are  up,  and  if  I 
perform  my  part  of  the  contract,  I  want  her  to  get  the 
$500  without  any  trouble." 

I  drew  up  a  contract  to  pay  him  $60  per  week  for  his 
services,  and  if  he  continued  to  exhibit  the  bears  for 
ten  consecutive  weeks  I  was  then  to  hand  him,  or  his 
wife,  $500  extra. 

"  You  have  lost  your  $500 ! "  exclaimed  Adams  on 
taking  the  contract ;  "  for  I  am  bound  to  live  and  earn  it." 

"  I  hope  you  may,  with  all  my  heart,  and  a  hundred 
years  more  if  you  desire  it,"  I  replied. 

"  Call  me  a  fool  if  I  do  n't  earn  the  $500  !  "  exclaimed 
Adams,  with  a  triumphant  laugh. 

The  "  show  "  started  off  in  a  few  days,  and  at  the 
end  of  a  fortnight  I  met  it  at  Hartford,  Connecticut. 


MENAGEKIE  AND  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA.      539 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  Adams,  you  seem  to  stand  it  pretty 
well.  I  hope  you  and  your  wife  are  comfortable  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  with  a  laugh ;  "  and  you  may  as 
well  try  to  be  comfortable,  too,  for  your  $500  is  a 
goner." 

"  All  right,"  I  replied,  "  I  hope  you  will  grow  bet-' 
ter  every  day." 

But  I  saw  by  his  pale  face  and  other  indications 
that  he  was  rapidly  failing.  In  three  weeks  more,  I 
met  him  again  at  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts.  It 
seemed  to  me,  then,  that  he  could  not  live  a  week,  for 
his  eyes  were  glassy  and  his  hands  trembled,  but  his 
pluck  was  as  great  as  ever. 

"  This  hot  weather  is  pretty  bad  for  me,"  he  said, 
"  but  my  ten  weeks  are  half  expired,  and  I  am  good 
for"  your  $500,  and,  probably,  a  month  or  two  longer." 

This  was  said  with  as  much  bravado  as  if  he  was 
offering  to  bet  upon  a  horse-race.  I  offered  to  pay 
him  half  of  the  $500  if  he  would  give  up  and  go  home  ; 
but  he  peremptorily  declined  making  any  compromise 
whatever.  I  met  him  the  ninth  week  in  Boston.  He 
had  failed  considerably  since  I  last  saw  him,  but  he  still 
continued  to  exhibit  the  bears  although  he  was  too 
weak  to  lead  them  in,  and  he  chuckled  over  his  almost 
certain  triumph.  I  laughed  in  return,  and  sincerely 
congratulated  him  on  his  nerve  and  probable  success. 
I  remained  with  him  until  the  tenth  week  was  finished, 
and  handed  him  his  $500.  He  took  it  with  a  leer  of 
satisfaction,  and  remarked,  that  he  was  sorry  I  was  a 
teetotaler,  for  he  would  like  to  stand  treat! 

Just  before  the  menagerie  left  New  York,  I  had  paid 
$150  for  a  new  hunting  suit,  made  of  beaver  skins,  sim 
ilar  to  the  one  which  Adams  had  worn.  This  I  intended 


540  MENAGERIE  AND  MUSEUM  MEMOBANDA. 

for  Herr  Driesbach,  the  animal  tamer,  who  was  engaged 
by  me  to  take  the  place  of  Adams,  whenever  he  should 
be  compelled  to  give  up.  Adams,  on  starting  from 
New  York,  asked  me  to  loan  this  new  dress  to  him  to 
perform  in  once  in  a  while  in  a  fair  day,  where  he  had 
a  large  audience,  for  his  own  costume  was  considera 
bly  soiled.  I  did  so,  and  now  when  I  handed  him 
his  $500,  he  remarked  : 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  I  suppose  you  are  going  to  give  me 
this  new  hunting  dress  I  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  I  replied,  "  I  got  that  for  your  successor, 
who  will  exhibit  the  bears  to-morrow ;  besides,  you  have 
no  possible  use  for  it." 

"  Now,  do  n't  be  mean,  but  lend  me  the  dress,  if  you 
won't  give  it  to  me,  for  I  want  to  wear  it  home  to  my 
native  village." 

I  could  not  refuse  the  poor  old  man  anything,  and  I 
therefore  replied : 

"  Well,  Adams,  I  will  lend  you  the  dress  ;  but  you 
will  send  it  back  to  me  I " 

"  Yes,  when  I  have  done  with  it,"  he  replied,  with  an 
evident  chuckle  of  triumph. 

I  thought  to  myself,  he  will  soon  be  done  with  it,  and 
replied  :  "  That's  all  right." 

A  new  idea  evidently  struck  him,  for,  with  a  brighten 
ing  look  of  satisfaction,  he  said : 

"  Now,  Barnum,  you  have  made  a  good  thing  out  of 
the  California  menagerie,  and  so  have  I ;  but  you  will 
make  a  heap  more.  So  if  you  won't  give  me  this  new 
hunter's  dress,  just  draw  a  little  writing,  and  sign  it,  say 
ing  that  I  may  wear  it  until  I  have  done  with  it." 

Of  course,  I  knew  that  in  a  few  days  at  longest, 
he  would  be  "  done "  with  this  world  altogether, 


MENAGERIE  AND  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA.  541 

and,  to  gratify  him,  I  cheerfully  drew  and  signed 
the  paper. 

"Come,  old  Yankee,  I've  got  you  this  time  —  see  if 
I  haint !  "  exclaimed  Adams,  with  a  broad  grin,  as  he 
took  the  paper, 

I  smiled,  and  said  : 

"  All  right,  my  dear  fellow ;  the  longer  you  live  the 
better  I  shall  like  it." 

We  parted,  and  he  went  to  Neponset,  a  small  town 
near  Boston,  where  his  wife  and  daughter  lived.  He 
took  at  once  to  his  bed,  and  never  rose  from  it  again. 
The  excitement  had  passed  away,  and  his  vital  energies 
could  accomplish  no  more.  The  fifth  day  after  arriving 
home,  the  physician  told  him  he  could  not  live  until  the 
next  morning.  He  received  the  announcement  in  per 
fect  calmness,  and  with  the  most  apparent  indifference  ; 
then,  turning  to  his  wife,  with  a  smile  he  requested  her 
to  have  him  buried  in  the  new  hunting  suit.  "For," 
said  he,  "  Barnum  agreed  to  let  me  have  it  until  I  have 
done  with  it,  and  I  was  determined  to  fix  his  flint  this 
time.  He  shall  never  see  that  dress  again."  His  wife 
assured  him  that  his  request  should  be  complied  with. 
He  then  sent  for  the  clergyman  and  they  spent  several 
hours  in  communing  together. 

Adams,  who,  rough  and  untutored,  had  nevertheless, 
a  natur5f*T>k)quence,  and  often  put  his  thoughts  in  good 
language,  said  to  the  clergyman,  that  though  he  had 
told  some  pretty  big  stories  about  his  bears,  he  had 
always  endeavored  to  do  the  straight  thing  between  man 
and  man.  "  I  have  attended  preaching  every  day,  Sun 
days  and  all,"  said  he,  "  for  the  last  six  years.  Some 
times  an  old  grizzly  gave  me  the  sermon,  sometimes  it 
was  a  panther ;  often  it  was  the  thunder  and  lightning, 


542  MENAGE1UE  AND  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA. 

the  tempest,  or  the  hurricane  on  the  peaks  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada,  or  in  the  gorges  of  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  but 
whatever  preached  to  me,  it  always  taught  me  the 
majesty  of  the  Creator,  and  revealed  to  me  the  undying 
and  unchanging  love  of  our  kind  Father  in  heaven. 
Although  I  am  a  pretty  rough  customer,"  continued  tha 
dying  man,  "  I  fancy  my  heart  is  in  about  the  right  place, 
and  look  with  confidence  for  that  rest  which  I  so  much 
need,  and  which  I  have  never  enjoyed  upon  earth."  He 
then  desired  the  clergyman  to  pray  with  him,  after  which 
he  took  him  by  the  hand,  thanked  him  for  his  kindness, 
and  bade  him  farewell.  In  another  hour  his  spirit  had 
taken  its  flight.  It  was  said  by  those  present,  that  his 
face  lighted  into  a  smile  as  the  last  breath  escaped  him, 
and  that  smile  he  carried  into  his  grave.  Almost  his  last 
words  were  :  "  Won't  Barnum  open  his  eyes  when  he 
finds  I  have  humbugged  him  by  being  buried  in  his  new 
hunting  dress  I "  That  dress  was  indeed  the  shroud  in 
which  he  was  entombed. 

And  that  was  the  last  on  earth  of  "  Old  Grizzly 
Adams." 

After  the  death  of  Adams,  the  grizzly  bears  and 
other  animals  were  added  to  the  collection  in  my 
Museum,  and  I  employed  Herr  Driesbach,  the  celebrated 
lion-tamer,  as  an  exhibitor.  Some  time  afterwards  the 
bears  were  sold  to  a  menagerie  company,  but H£  kept 
"  old  Neptune,"  the  sea-lion,  for  several  years,  sending 
him  occasionally  for  exhibition  in  other  cities,  as  far 
west  as  Chicago.  This  noble  and  ferocious  animal  was 
a  very  great  curiosity  and  attracted  great  attention.  He 
was  kept  in  a  large  tank,  which  was  supplied  with  salt 
water  every  day  from  the  Fall  River  steamboats,  whose 
deck  hands  filled  my  barrels  on  every  passage  to  the 


MENAGEKIE  AND  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA.  543 

city  with  salt  water  from  the  deepest  part  of  Long 
Island  Sound.  On  his  tours  through  the  country  the 
sea-lion  lived  very  well  in  fresh  water. 

It  wras  at  one  time  my  serious  intention  to  engage  in 
an  American  Indian  Exhibition  on  a  stupendous  scale. 
I  proposed  to  secure  at  the  far  West  not  less  than  one 
hundred  of  the  best  specimens  of  full-blood  Indians, 
with  their  squaws  and  papooses,  their  paint,  ponies, 
dresses,  and  weapons,  for  a  general  tour  throughout  the 
United  States  and  Europe.  The  plan  comprehended  a 
grand  entry  at  every  town  and  city  where  the  Indians 
were  to  exhibit  —  the  Indians  in  all  the  glory  of  paint 
and  feathers,  beads  and  bright  blankets,  riding  on  their 
ponies,  followed  by  tame  buffaloes,  elks  and  antelopes  ; 
then  an  exhibition  on  a  lot  large  enough  to  admit  of 
a  display  of  all  the  Indian  games  and  dances,  their 
method  of  hunting,  their  style  of  cooking,  living,  etc. 
Such  an  exhibition  is  perfectly  practicable  now  to 
any  one  who  has  the  capital  and  tact  to  undertake  it, 
and  a  sure  fortune  would  follow  the  enterprise. 

On  the  13th  of  October,  1860,  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
then  making  a  tour  in  the  United  States,  in  company 
with  his  suite,  visited  the  American  Museum.  This  was 
a  very  great  compliment,  since  it  was  the  only  place  of 
amusement  the  Prince  attended  in  this  country.  Un 
fortunately,  I  was  in  Bridgeport  at  the  time,  and  the 
Museum  was  in  charge  of  my  manager,  Mr.  Green 
wood.  Knowing  that  the  name  of  the  American 
Museum  was  familiar  throughout  Europe,  I  was  quite 
confident  of  a  call  from  the  Prince,  and  from  regard  to 
his  filial  feelings  I  had,  a  day  or  two  after  his  arrival 
in  New  York,  ordered  to  be  removed  to  a  dark  closet 
a  frightful  wax  figure  of  his  royal  mother,  which,  for 


544  MENAGERIE  AND  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA. 

nineteen  years,  had  excited  the  admiration  of  the 
million  and  which  bore  a  placard  with  the  legend, 
"  An  exact  likeness  of  Her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria, 
taken  from  life."  Mr.  Greenwood,  who  was  an  Eng 
lishman,  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  condescension 
of  the  Prince,  and  backed  his  way  through  the  halls, 
followed  by  the  Prince,  the  Duke  of  Newcastle,  and 
other  members  of  the  royal  suite,  and  he  actually 
trembled  as  he  attempted  to  do  the  reception  honors. 

Presently  they  arrived  in  front  of  the  platform  on 
which  were  exhibited  the  various  living  human  curiosities 
and  monstrosities.  The  tall  giant  woman  made  her  best 
bow ;  the  fat  boy  waddled  out  and  kissed  his  hand  ; 
the  "  negro  turning  white  "  showed  his  ivory  and  his 
spots;  the  dwarfs  kicked  up  their  heels,  and  like  the 
clown  in  the  ring,  cried  "  here  we  are  again" ;  the 
living  skeleton  stalked  out,  reminding  the  Prince,  per 
haps,  of  the  wish  of  Sidney  Smith  in  a  hot  day  that 
he  could  lay  off  his  flesh  and  sit  in  his  bones ;  the 
Albino  family  went  thr6ugh  their  performances  ;  the 
"  What  is  it]"  grinned  ;  the  Infant  Drummer-boy  beat 
a  tattoo ;  and  the  Aztec  children  were  shown  and 
described  as  specimens  of  a  remarkable  and  ancient 
race  in  Mexico  and  Central  America.  The  Prince  and 
his  suite  seemed  pleased,  and  Greenwood  was  duly 
delighted.  He  was,  however,  quite  overwhelmed  with 
the  responsibility  of  his  position,  especially  whenever 
the  Prince  addressed  him,  and  leading  the  way  to  the 
wax  figure  hall  he  called  attention  to  the  figures  of  the 
Siamese  Twins  and  the  Quaker  Giant  and  his  wife. 

"  I  suppose,"  said  the  Prince,  "  these  figures  are 
representatives  of  different  living  curiosities  exhibited 
from  time  to  time  in  your  Museum  ] " 


MENAGERIE  AND  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA.      545 

"  Yes,  your  Royal  Highness,  all  of  them,"  replied 
the  confused  Greenwood,  and  as  "  all  of  them " 
included  very  fair  figures  of  the  Emperors  Nicholas  and 
Napoleon,  the  Empress  Eugenie,  and  other  equally  dis 
tinguished  personages,  the  Prince  must  have  thought 
that  the  Museum  had  contained,  in  times  past,  some 
famous  "living  curiosities."  On  leaving  the  Museum, 
the  Prince  asked  to  see  Mr.  Barnum,  and  when  he  was 
told  that  I  was  out  of  town,  he  remarked :  "  We  have 
missed  the  most  interesting  feature  of  the  establishment." 
A  few  days  afterwards,  when  the  Prince  was  in  Boston, 
happening  to  be  in  that  city,  I  sent  my  card  to  him  at 
the  Revere  House,  and  was  cordially  received.  He 
smiled  when  I  reminded  him  that  I  had  seen  him  when 
he  was  a  little  boy,  on  the  occasion  of  one  of  my  visits 
to  Buckingham  Palace  with  General  Tom  Thumb.  The 
Prince  told  me  that  he  was  much  pleased  with  his 
recent  inspection  of  my  Museum,  and  that  he  and  his 
suite  had  left  their  autographs  in  the  establishment,  as 
mementos  of  their  visit. 

When  I  arrived  in  Boston,  by  the  by,  on  this  visit, 
the  streets  were  thronged  with  the  military  and  citizens 
assembled  to  receive  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  I  had  great 
difficulty,  in  starting  from  the  depot  to  the  Revere  House, 
in  getting  through  the  assembled  crowd.  At  last,  a 
policeman  espied  me,  and  taking  me  for  Senator  Stephen 
A.  Douglas,  he  cried  out,  at  the  top  of  his  voice : 
"  Make  way  there  for  Judge  Douglas's  carriage."  The 
crowd  opened  a  passage  for  my  carriage  at  short  notice, 
and  shouted  out  "  Douglas,  Douglas,  hurrah  for  Doug 
las."  I  took  off  my  hat  and  bowed,  smiling  from  the 
windows  on  each  side  of  my  carriage ;  the  cheers  and 
enthusiasm  increased  as  I  advanced,  and  all  the  way  to 


546  MENAGEKIE  AND  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA. 

the  Eevere  House  I  continued  to  bow  Judge  Douglas's 
grateful  acknowledgments  for  the  enthusiastic  recep 
tion.  There  must  have  been  at  least  fifty  thousand  peo 
ple  who  joined  in  this  spontaneous  demonstration  in 
honor  of  Judge  Douglas. 

When  Douglas  ran  for  the  presidency  in  1860,  my 
democratic  friend,  J.  D.  Johnson,  bet  me  a  hat  that  the 
Judge  would  be  elected.  Douglas  passed  through 
Bridgeport  on  his  electioneering  tour  down  East,  and 
made  a  brief  speech  from  the  rear  platform  of  the  car, 
to  the  people  assembled  at  the  depot.  The  next  day 
Mr.  Johnson  met  me  in  a  crowded  barber  shop  and 
asked  me  if  I  had  ever  seen  Douglas  I  I  answered 
that  I  had,  and  Johnson  then  asked  what  sort  of  a 
looking  man  he  was.  Eemembering  our  hat  bet,  and 
knowing  that  Johnson  expected  a  pretty  hard  descrip 
tion  of  his  favorite  candidate,  I  said : 

"He  is  a  red-nosed,  blear-eyed,  dumpy,  swaggering 
chap,  looking  like  a  regular  bar-room  loafer." 

"  I  thought  as  much,"  said  Johnson,  "  for  here  is  the 
New  Haven  paper  of  this  morning,  which  says  that  he 
is  the  very  image,  in  personal  appearance,  of  P.  T.  Bar- 


num." 


When  the  roar  that  followed  subsided,  I  told  John 
son  I  must  have  had  some  other  man  in  my  mind's  eye, 
when  I  answered  his  question. 

*  One  day  I  went  out  of  the  Museum  in  great  haste  to 
Tom  Higginson's  barber  shop,  in  the  Park  Hotel,  where 
my  daily  tonsorial  operations  were  performed,  and  find 
ing  a  rough-looking  Hibernian  just  ahead  of  me,  I  told 
him  that  if  he  would  be  good  enough  to  give  me  his 
"  turn,"  I  would  pay  his  bill ;  to  which  he  consented,  and 
taking  his  turn  and  my  own  shave,  I  speedily  departed, 


MENAGERIE  AND  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA.      547 

saying  to  Tom,  as  I  went  out :  "  Fix  out  this  man, 
and  for  whatever  he  has  done  I  will  pay  the  bill." 

Two  or  three  clerks  and  reporters,  who  were  in  the 
shop,  and  who  knew  me,  put  their  freshly-dressed  heads 
together  and  suggested  to  Tom  that  here  was  an  oppor 
tunity  to  perpetrate  a  practical  joke  on  Barnum,  and 
they  explained  the  plan,  in  which  Higginson  readily 
acquiesced. 

"Now,"  says  one  of  them  to  the  Irishman,  "get 
everything  done  which  you  like,  and  it  will  cost  you 
nothing ;  it  will  be  charged  to  the  gentleman  to  whom 
you  gave  your  turn." 

"  Sure  and  a  liberal  gintleman  he  must  be,"  said 
Pat. 

"  Will  you  take  a  bath?"  asked  the  barber. 

"  That  indade  I  will,  if  the  gintleman  pays,"  was  the 
reply. 

When  he  came  out  of  the  bath  he  was  asked  if  he 
would  be  shampooed.  "  And  what  is  that  ?  "  asked 
the  bewildered  Hibernian.  The  process  was  explained 
and  he  consented  to  go  through  with  the  operation. 
Thereafter,  moved  and  instigated  thereto  by  the  barber 
and  his  confederates,  Pat  permitted  Higginson  to  dye 
his  red  haijr  and  whiskers  a  beautiful  brown,  and  then 
to  curl  them.  When  all  was  done,  the  son  of  Erin 
looked  in  the  mirror  and  could  scarcely  believe  the 
1  /idence  of  his  own  eyes.  A  more  thorough  transforma 
tion  could  scarcely  be  conceived,  and  as  he  went  out 
of  the  door  he  said  to  Higginson : 

"  Give  the  generous  gintleman  me  best  complements 
and  tell  him  he  can  have  my  turn  ony  day  on  the  same 
terms." 

One  of  the  newspaper  reporters,  who  assisted  in  the 


048  MENAGEKIE  AXD  MUSEUM  MEMORANDA. 

joke,  published  the  whole  story  the  next  day,  and  when 
I  called  at  the  barber  shop  a  bill  for  $1.75  was  pre 
sented,  which,  of  course,  I  could  do  no  less  than  to  pay. 
The  joke  went  the  rounds  of  the  papers ;  and  after  a 
few  months,  an  English  friend  sent  me  the  whole  story 
in  a  copy  of  the  London  Family  Herald  —  a  publication 
that  issues  about  half  a  million  of  copies  weekly.  Mr. 
Currier,  the  lithographer,  put  the  joke  into  pictorial 
form,  representing  the  Irishman  as  he  appeared  before, 
also  as  he  appeared  after  the  "  barbar-ous  "  operations. 
After  all,  it  was  a  good  advertisement  for  me,  as  well  as 
for  Higginson  ;  and  it  would  have  been  pretty  difficult 
to  serve  me  up  about  these  times  in  printers'  ink  in  any 
form  that  I  should  have  objected  to. 

Meanwhile,  the  Museum  flourished  better  than  ever  ; 
and  I  began  to  make  large  holes  in  the  mortgages 
which  covered  the  property  of  my  wife  in  New  York 
and  in  Connecticut.  Still,  there  was  an  immense  amount 
of  debts  resting  upon  all  her  real  estate,  and  nothing 
but  time,  economy,  industry  and  diligence  woul(J  remove 
the  burdens. 


CHAPTER,    XXXV. 

EAST    BRIDGEPORT. 

4XOTHER  NEW  HOME  —  LINDENCROFT —  PROGRESS  OF  MY  PET  CITY  —  THE 
CHESTNUT  WOOD  FIRE — HOW  IT  BECAME  OLD  HICKORY  —  INDUCEMENTS  TO 
SETTLERS  —  MY  OFFER — EVERY  MAN  HIS  OWN  HOUSE-OWNER  —  WHISKEY 
AND  TOBACCO  —  RISE  IN  REAL-ESTATE  —  PEMBROKE  LAKE  —  WASHINGTON 
PARK  —  GREAT  MANUFACTORIES  —  W1IKELWK  AND  WILSON  —  SCHUYLER, 
HARTLEY  AND  GRAHAM  —  HOTCHKISS,  SON  AND  COMPANY  —  STREET  NAMES 
—  MANY  THOUSAND  SHADE  TREES  —  BUSINESS  IN  THE  NEW  CITY  —  UNPARAL 
LELED  GROWTH  AND  PROSPERITY  —  PROBABILITIES  IN  THE  FUTURE  — 
SITUATION  OF  BRIDGEPORT  —  ITS  ADVANTAGES  AND  PROSPECTS — THE  SECOND, 
IF  NOT  THE  FORE3IOST  CITY  IN  CONNECTICUT. 

FOR  nearly  five  years  my  family  had  been  knocked 
about,  the  sport  of  adverse  fortune,  without  a  settled 
home.  Sometimes  we  boarded,  and  at  other  times  we 
lived  in  a  small  hired  house.  Two  of  my  daughters 
were  married,  and  my  youngest  daughter,  Pauline,  was 
away  at  boarding  school.  The  health  of  my  wife  was 
much  impaired,  and  she  especially  needed  a  fixed 
residence  which  she  could  call  "  home."  Accord 
ingly,  in  1860,  I  built  a  pleasant  house  adjoining  that 
of  my  daughter  Caroline,  in  Bridgeport,  and  one 
hundred  rods  west  of  the  grounds  of  Iranistan.  I  had 
originally  a  tract  of  twelve  acres,  but  half  of  it  had 
been  devoted  to  my  daughter,  and  on  the  other  half 
I  now  proposed  to  establish  my  own  residence.  To 
prepare  the  site  it  .was  necessary  to  cart  in  several 
thousands  of  loads  of  dirt  to  fill  up  the  hollow  and  to 
make  the  broad,  beautiful  lawn,  in  the  centre  of  which 
I  erected  the  new  house,  and  after  supplying  the  place 


550  EAST   BKIDGEPOKT. 

with  fountains,  shrubbery,  statuary  and  all  that  cotdd 
adorn  it,  I  named  my  new  home  "  Lindencroft."  It 
was,  in  truth,  a  very  delightful  place,  complete  and 
convenient  in  all  respects,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  more 
beautiful  residence  in  Bridgeport  now. 

Meanwhile,  my  pet  city,  East  Bridgeport,  was  pro 
gressing  with  giant  strides.  The  Wheeler  and  Wilson 
Sewing  Machine  manufactory  had  been  quadrupled  in 
size,  and  employed  about  a  thousand  workmen.  Nu 
merous  other  large  factories  had  been  built,  and  scores 
of  first-class  houses  were  erected,  besides  many  neat,  but 
smaller  and  cheaper  houses  for  laborers  and  mechanics. 
That  piece  of  property,  which,  but  eight  years  before, 
had  been  farm  land,  with  scarcely  six  houses  upon  the 
whole  tract,  was  now  a  beautiful  new  city,  teeming  with 
busy  life,  and  looking  as  neat  as  anew  pin.  The  great 
est  pleasure  which  I  then  took,  or  even  now  take,  was 
in  driving  through  those  busy  streets,  admiring  the 
beautiful  houses  and  substantial  factories,  with  their 
thousands  of  prosperous  workmen,  and  reflecting  that  I 
had,  in  so  great  a  measure,  been  the  means  of  adding 
all  this  life,  bustle  and  wealth  to  the  City  of  Bridgeport. 
And  reflection  on  this  subject  only  confirmed  in  my 
mind  the  great  doctrine  of  compensations.  How  plain 
was  it  in  my  case,  that  an  "  apparent  evil "  was  a  "  bles 
sing  in  disguise  ! "  How  palpable  was  it  now,  that,  had 
it  not  been  for  the  clock  failure,  this  prosperity  could 
not  have  existed  here.  An  old  citizen  of*Bridgeport 
used  to  say  to  me,  when,  a  few  years  before,  he  had 
noticed  my  zeal  in  trying  to  build  tip  the  east  side : 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  your  contemplated  new  city  is  like  a 
fire  made  with  chestnut  wood ;  it  burns  so  long  as  you 
keep  blowing  it,  and  when  you  stop,  it  goes  out !  " 


^ 


EAST  BRIDGEPORT.  551 

I  like,  now-a-days  to  laugh  at  him  about  his  "  chestnut 
wood  fire."  Of  course,  I  did  blow  the  fire  in  all  possi 
ble  ways,  but  the  result  proved  that  the  wood  which 
fed  the  fire  was  not  chestnut,  but  the  best  and  soundest 
old  hickory.  The  situation  was  everything  that  could 
be  desired,  and  I  knew  that  in  order  to  induce  manufac 
turers  to  establish  their  business  in  the  new  city,  a 
prime  requisite  was  the  advantage  I  could  oifer  to  em 
ployers,  agents  and  workmen,  to  secure  good  and 
cheap  homes  -in  the  vicinity  of  their  place  of  labor. 
To  show  the  method  I  adopted  to  secure  this  end,  I 
copy  from  the  files  of  the  Bridgeport  Standard,  an  offer 
which  I  made,  and  the  editorial  comment  thereon. 
This  offer,  I  may  add,  was  not  so  much  for  the  purpose 
of  blowing  the  fire,  which  was  already  fairly  roaring 
with  a  lively  blaze,  as  for  the  sake  of  helping  those 
who  were  willing  to  help  themselves,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  contribute  to  my  happiness,  as  well  as  their 
own,  by  forwarding  the  growth  of  the  new  city. 

"NEW  HOUSES  IN  EAST  BRIDGEPORT. 
"EVERY  MAN  TO  OWN  THE  HOUSE  HE  LIVES  IN. 

"  There  is  a  demand  at  the  present  moment  for  two  hundred  more  dwellinsr- 
houses  in  East  Bridgeport.  It  is  evident  that  if  the  money  expended  in  rent 
can  be  paid  towards  the  purchase  of  a  house  and  lot,  the  person  so  paying 
will  in  a  few  years  own  the  house  he  lives  in,  instead  of  always  remaining  a  ten 
ant.  In  view  of  this  fact,  I  propose  to  loan  money  at  six  per  cent  to  any  num 
ber,  not  exceeding  fifty,  industrious,  temperate  and  respectable  individuals,  who 
desire  to  build  their  own  houses. 

"  They  may  engage  their  own  builders,  and  build  according  to  any  reasonable 
plan  (which  I  may  approve),  or  I  will  have  it  done  for  them  at  the  lowest  possi 
ble  rate,  without  a  farthing  profit  to  myself  or  agent,  I  putting  the  lot  at  a  fair 
price  and  advancing  eighty  per  cent  of  the  entire  cost ;  the  other  party  to  furnish 
twenty  per  cent  in  labor,  material  or  money,  and  they  may  pay  me  in  small 
sums  weekly,  monthly  or  quarterly,  any  amount  not  less  than  three  per  cent 
per  quarter,  all  of  which  is  to  apply  on  the  money  advanced  until  it  is  paid. 

"  It  has  been  ascertained  that  by  purchasing  building  materials  for  cash,  and  in 
large  quantities,  nice  dwellings,  painted  and  furnished*  with  green  blinds,  can. 
be  erected  at  a  cost  of  $1,500  or  $1,800,  for  house,  lot,  fences,  etc.,  all  complete. 


552  EAST  BRIDGEPORT. 

and  if  six  or  eight  friends  prefer  to  join  in  erecting  a  neat  block  of  houses  with 
verandas  in  front,  the  average  cost  need  not  exceed  about  $1,300  per  house  and 
lot.  If,  however,  some  parties  would  prefer  a  single  or  double  house  that  would 
cost  $2,500  to  $3,000,  I  shall  be  glad  to  meet  their  views. 

P.  T.  BARNUM. 
"February  16,  1864." 

The  editor  of  the  Standard  printed  the  following 
upon  my  announcement: 

"AN  ADVANTAGEOUS  OFFER. — We  have  read  with  great  pleasure  Mr. 
Barnum's  advertisement,  offering  assistance  to  any  number  of  persons,  not 
exceeding  fifty,  in  the  erection  of  dwelling  houses.  This  plan  combines  all  the 
advantages  and  none  of  the  objections  of  Building  Associations.  Any  individual 
who  can  furnish  in  cash,  labor,  or  material,  one-fifth  only  of  the  amount  requisite 
for  the  erection  of  a  dwelling  house,  can  receive  the  other  four-fifths  from  Mr. 
Barnum,  rent  his  house  and  by  merely  paying  what  may  be  considered  as  only  a 
fair  rent  for  a  few  years,  find  himself  at  last  the  owner,  and  all  further  payments 
cease.  In  the  mean  time,  he  can  be  making  such  inexpensive  improvements  in  his 
property  as  would  greatly  improve  its  market  value,  and  besides  have  the 
advantage  of  any  rise  in  the  value  of  real  estate.  It  is  not  often  that  such  a 
generous  ofier  is  made  to  working  men.  It  is  a  loan  on  what  would  be  generally 
considered  inadequate  security,  at  six  per  cent,  at  a  time  when  a  much  better  use 
of  money  can  be  made  by  any  capitalist.  It  is  therefore  generous.  Mr.  Barnum 
may  make  money  by  the  operation.  Very  well,  perhaps  he  will,  but  if  he  does, 
it  will  be  by  making  others  richer,  not  poorer;  by  helping  those  who  need  assist 
ance,  not  by  hindering  them,  and  we  can  only  wish  that  every  rich  man  would 
follow  such  a  noble  example,  and  thus,  without  injury  to  themselves,  give  a 
helping  hand  to  those  who  need  it.  Success  to  the  enterprise.  We  hope  that 
fifty  men  will  be  found  before  the  week  ends,  each  of  whom  desires  in  such  a 
manner  to  obtain  a  roof  which  he  can  call  his  own." 

Quite  a  number  of  men  at  once  availed  themselves  of 
my  offer,  and  eventually  succeeded  in  paying  for  their 
homes  without  much  effort.  I  am  sorry  to  add,  that  rent 
is  still  paid,  month  after  month,  by  many  men  who  would 
long  ago  have  owned  neat  homesteads,  free  from  all 
incumbrances,  if  they  had  accepted  my  proposals  and 
had  signed  and  kept  the  temperance  pledge,  and  given 
up  the  use  of  tobacco.  The  money  they  have  since 
expended  for  whiskey  and  tobacco,  would  have  given 
them  a  house  of  their  own,  if  the  money  had  been 
devoted  to  that  object,  and  their  positions,  socially  and 
morally,  would  'have  been  far  better  than  they  are 


EAST  BRIDGEPORT.  553 

to-day.  How  many  infatuated  men  there  are  in  all 
parts  of  the  country,  who  could  now  be  independent, 
and  even  owners  of  their  own  carriages,  but  for  their 
slavery  to  these  miserable  habits  ! 

I  built  a  number  of  houses  to  let.  in  order  to  accom 
modate  those  who  were  unable  to  buy.  I  find  this  the 
most  unpleasant  part  of  my  connection  with  the  new 
city.  The  interest  on  the  investment,  the  taxes,  repairs, 
wear  and  tear,  and  insurance  render  tenant-houses  the 
most  unprofitable  property  to  own ;  besides  which  the 
landlord  is  often  looked  upon  by  the  tenants  as  an  over 
bearing,  grasping  man  and  one  whose  property  it  is 
their  highest  duty  to  injure  as  much  as  possible;  for  all 
concerned  therefore,  it  is  much  better  that  every  person 
should  somehow  manage  to  own  the  roof  he  sleeps 
under.  Men  are  more  independent  and  feel  happier 
who  live  in  their  own  houses  ;  they  keep  the  premises 
in  neater  order,  and  they  make  better  citizens.  Hence 
I  always  encourage  poor  people  to  become  householders 
if  possible,  for  I  find  that  oftentimes  when  they  have 
lived  long  in  one  of  my  houses  they  think  it  very  hard  if 
the  property  is  not  given  to  them.  They  argue  that  the 
landlord  is  rich  and  would  never  feel  the  loss  of  one 
little  place,  not  stopping  to  consider  that  the  aggregate 
of  a  great  many  "  little  places  ?'  thus  given  away  would 
make  the  landlord  poor,  —  nor  would  the  tenants  be 
benefited  so  much  by  homes  that  were  given  to  them 
as  they  would  by  homes  that  were  the  fruits  of  their 
own  industry  and  economy. 

The  land  in  East  Bridgeport  was  originally  pur 
chased  by  me  at  from  $50  to  $75,  and  from  those  sums 
to  f^OO  per  acre ;  and  the  average  cost  of  all  I  bought 
on  that  side  of  the  river  was  $200  per  acre.  Some 


554  EAST  BKIDGEPOKT. 

portions  of  this  land  are  now  assessed  in  the  Bridgeport 
tax-list  at  from  $3,000  to  $4,000  per  acre.  At  the  time 
I  joined  Mr.  Noble  in  this  enterprise,  the  site  we  pur 
chased  was  not  a  part  of  the  City  of  Bridgeport.  It  is 
now,  however,  a  most  important  section  of  the  city,  and 
the  three  bridges  connecting  the  two  banks  of  the  river, 
and  originally  chartered  as  toll-bridges,  have  been 
bought  by  the  city  and  thrown  open  as  free  highways 
to  the  public.  A  horse  railroad,  in  which  I  took  one- 
tenth  part  of  the  stock,  connects  the  two  portions  of  the 
city,  extending  westerly  beyond  Iranistan  and  Linden- 
croft,  while  a  branch  road  runs  to  the  beatiful "  Sea-side 
Park  "  on  the  Sound  shore. 

The  eastern  line  of  East  Bridgeport,  when  I  first  pur 
chased  so  large  a  portion  of  the  property,  was  bounded 
by  a  long,  narrow  swale  or  valley  of  salt  meadow, 
through  which  a  small  stream  passed,  and  which  was 
flooded  with  salt  water  at  every  tide.  At  considerable 
expense,  I  erected  a  dam  at  the  foot  of  this  meadow, 
and  thus  converted  this  heretofore  filthy,  repulsive, 
mosquito-inhabited  and  malaria-breeding  marsh  into  a 
charming  sheet  of  water,  which  is  now  known  as  Pem 
broke  Lake.  If  this  improvement  had  not  been  made, 
in  all  probability  the  eastern  portion  of  my  property 
would  never  have  been  devoted  to  dwelling  houses  ;  as 
it  is,  Barnum  Street  has  been  extended  by  means  of  a 
bridge  across  the  lake,  and  the  eastern  shore  is  already 
studded  with  houses.  The  land  on  that  side  of  the  lake 
lies  in  the  town  of  Stratford,  and  the  growth  of  the  new 
settlement  promises  to  be  as  rapid  as  that  of  East 
Bridgeport. 

General  Noble,  in  laying  out  the  first  portiofi  of 
our  new  city,  named  several  streets  after  members 


EAST  BRIDGEPORT.  555 

of  his  own  family,  and  also  of  mine.  Hence,  we  have 
a  "Noble"  Street  —  and  a  noble  street  it  is;  a  "  Bar- 
num "  Street ;  while  other  streets  are  named  "  William," 
from  Mr.  Noble ;  "  Harriet,"  the  Christian  name  of  Mrs, 
Noble ;  "  Hallett,"  the  maiden  name  of  my  wife ;  and 
u  Caroline,"  "  Helen,"  and  "  Pauline,"  the  names  of  my 
three  daughters.  There  is  also  the  "  Barnum  School 
District "  and  school-house  ;  so  that  it  seems  as  if,  for  a 
few  scores  of  years  at  least,  posterity  would  know  who 
were  the  founders  of  the  new,  flourishing  and  beautiful 
city.  We  have  yet  another  enduring  and  ever-growing 
monument  in  the  many  thousands  of  trees  which  we  set 
out  and  which  now  line  and  gratefully  shade  the  streets 
of  East  Bridgeport. 

Figures  can  scarcely  give  an  appreciable  idea  of  the 
rapid  growth  and  material  prosperity  of  this  important 
portion  of  the  City  of  Bridgeport ;  but  the  city 
records  show  that  my  first  purchase  of  land  on  that 
side  of  the  river  was  appraised  in  the  Bridgeport 
assessment  list,  in  October,  1851,  at  $36,000,  while  in 
July,  1859,  the  same  real  estate,  with  improvements,  less 
the  Washington  Park,  the  Public  School  lot  in  Barnum 
District,  the  land  for  streets,  and  four  church  lots,  was 
valued  in  the  city  assessment  list  at  $1,200,000.  When 
we  bought  the  property  there  were  but  six  old  farm 
houses  on  the  entire  tract,  when  the  centre  bridge  was 
built  and  opened.  Now  there  are  on  the  same  land 
hundreds  of  dwelling-houses,  some  of  them  as  fine  as 
any  in  the  State.  Three  handsome  churches,  Methodist, 
Episcopal  and  Congregational,  front  on  the  beautiful 
Washington  Park  of  seven  acres,  which  Mr.  Noble  and 
myself  presented  to  the  city,  and  which  would  be  worth 
$100,000  to  day  for  building  lots.  This  pleasant  park 


556  EAST  BRIDGEPORT. 

is  enclosed  by  a  substantial  iron  fence,  and  contains  a 
fine,  natural  grove  of  full-grown  trees,  while  the 
surrounding  streets  are  lined  with  charming  residences, 
and,  on  one  or  more  evenings  in  the  week  during  the 
summer,  the  city  band,  or  the  Wheeler  &  Wilson  band, 
plays  in  the  Park  for  the  amusement  and  benefit  of  the 
citizens  of  East  Bridgeport. 

Some  of  the  largest  and  most  prosperous  manufac 
tories  in  the  United  States  are  located  in  the  new  city. 
Among  these  are  the  Wheeler  &  Wilson  Sewing 
Machine  Manufactories,  which  cover  four  entire  squares, 
with  fire-proof  buildings,  are  rapidly  extending,  and 
employ  more  than  one  thousand  operators  ;  the  Howe 
Sewing  Machine  Factory  is  also  an  immense  edifice, 
employing  nearly  the  same  number  of  men  ;  Schuyler, 
Hartley,  Graham  &  Company's  great  cartridge  and 
ammunition  works,  almost  supply  the  armies  of  the 
world  with  the  means  of  destruction  ;  besides  these,  the 
Winchester  Arms  Manufactory  for  making  the  "  twenty- 
shooter  breech-loader  "  ;  a  large  brass  manufactory  ;  an 
immense  hat  manufactory ;  and  Hotchkiss,  Sons  & 
Company's  Hardware  Manufactory,  are  among  the  more 
prominent  establishments,  and  other  and  like  concerns 
are  constantly  adding.  Indeed,  at  this  time  (186 9)  one- 
fourth  of  the  population  and  three-fourths  of  the  man 
ufacturing  capital  and  business  of  Bridgeport  are  located 
on  the  east  side  within  limits  which,  in  1850,  contained 
only  six  old  farm  houses. 

The  following  details  respecting  the  business  of  some 
of  the  largest  establishments  will  give  an  idea  of  the 
manufacturing  industries  of  East  Bridgeport.  The 
Wheeler  and  Wilson  Manufacturing  Company  employ 
more  than  $4,000,000  in  their  business.  Their 


EAST  BRIDGEPORT.  557 

employees  number  ten  hundred,  and  they  manufacture 
an  average  of  three  hundred  sewing  machines  per  day  ; 
the  total  number  of  machines  manufactured  up  to  July  1 , 
1869,  is  over  four  hundred  thousand,  and  the  factories 
cover  six  and  one-half  acres  of  ground.  The  Union 
Metallic  Cartridge  Company,  Messrs.  Schuyler,  Hartley, 
Graham  &  Co.,  have  a  capital  of  $350,000,  employ 
two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  and  manufacture  cartridges 
and  primers  of  Berdan's  patent  military  and  sporting 
caps,  and  elastic  gun  waddings,  at  the  rate  of  1,000,000 
cartridges,  720,000  primers,  and  720,000  caps  per  week, 
and  to  July  1,  1869,  they  had  manufactured  50,000,000 
cartridges.  The  Bridgeport  Brass  Company  employ 
two  hundred  men,  have  a  capital  of  $150,000,  and 
manufacture  rolled  brass  wire  and  tubing,  kerosene 
burners,  lamp  goods,  corset  steels,  oil  cans,  etc.,  and  roll 
and  use  in  these  goods  1,000,000  pounds  of  brass  a 
year.  The  Winchester  Arms  Company  have  a  capital 
of  $450,000,  employ  three  hundred  men,  and  manufac 
ture  the  Winchester  rifle,  cartridges  and  ammunition. 
The  Howe  Machine  Company  have  a  capital  of  $300,- 
000,  employ  five  hundred  men,  and  manufacture  sewing 
machines  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  per  day. 
Messrs.  Hotchkiss  and  Sons,  with  a  capital  of  $162,500, 
and  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  men,  manufacture 
hardware,  currycombs,  game  traps,  and  harness  snaps 
to  the  amount  of  $20,000  per  month.  The  Bridgeport 
Manufacturing  Company,  with  fifty  men,  and  a  capital 
of  $300,000,  manufacture  the  American  submerged 
pump.  The  Odorless  Eubber  Company,  with  fifty  men, 
and  $200,000  capital,  manufacture  soft  rubber  goods, 
hose,  clothing,  etc.  The  American  Silver  Steel 
Company,  manufacture  steel  from  the  Mine  Hill,  Roxbury, 


558  EAST  BBIDGEPOKT. 

Connecticut,  Spathic  ore,  and  employ  two  hundred  and 
fifty  men,  and  a  capital  of  $500,000.  Messrs.  Glover 
Sanford  and  Sons,  employ  two  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  and  manufacture  two  hundred  and  fifty  dozen 
wool  hats  per  day.  The  New  York  Tap  and  Die 
Company,  with  a  capital  of  $150,000,  and  one  hundred 
men,  manufacture  taps,  dies,  drills,  bits,  etc.  These 
companies  thus  employ  about  six  and  one-half  millions 
in  capital,  and  nearly  twenty-seven  hundred  men,  and 
expend  more  than  $2,000,000  a  year  in  wages  to  the 
operatives. 

In  addition,  there  are  several  substantial  brick  blocks 
devoted  to  business  ;  there  are  book  stores,  drug  stores, 
dry  goods  stores,  jewelry  stores,  boot  and  shoe  shops 
and  stores,  tailoring  and  furnishing  establishments,  more 
than  twenty  grocery  stores,  six  meat  markets,  three  fish 
markets,  coal,  wood,  lumber  and  brick  yards,  steam 
flouring  mills,  and  a  large  brick  hotel.  The  water  and 
gas  supplies  are  the  same  as  those  afforded  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river.  It  is  quite  within  the  bounds  of 
probability  that  in  the  course  of  twenty  years,  the  east 
side  will  contain  the  larger  proportion  of  the  inhabitants. 
A  post-office  and  a  railway  station  will  soon  be  built 
on  that  side  of  the  river.  A  new  iron  bridge  is  about 
to  connect  the  two  parts  of  the  city,  affording  additional 
facilities  for  inter-communication.  In  1868,  March  2, 
a  special  committee  of  the  Common  Council  reported 
the  census  of  the  City  of  Bridgeport  as  follows :  First 
ward,  7,397;  Second  ward,  4,237;  Third  ward,  East 
Bridgeport,  5,497  ;  total,  17,131.  In  this  enumeration, 
our  new  city  contained  nearly  one-third  of  the  entire 
population,  and  its  increase  since  has  been  far  more 
rapid  than  that  of  any  other  part  of  Bridgeport. 


EAST  BRIDGEPORT.  559 

The  entire  City  of  Bridgeport  is  advancing  in  popula 
tion  and  prosperity  with  a  rapidity  far  beyond  that  of 
any  other  city  in  Connecticut,  and  everything  indicates 
that  it  will  soon  take  its  proper  position  as  the  second, 
if  not  the  first,  city  in  the  State.  Its  situation  as  the 
terminus  of  the  Naugatuck  and  the  Housatonic  rail 
ways,  its  accessibility  to  New  York,  with  its  two  daily 
steamboats  to  and  from  the  metropolis,  and  its  dozen 
daily  trains  of  the  New  York  and  Boston  and  Shore 
Line  railways,  are  all  elements  of  prosperity  which  are 
rapidly  telling  in  favor  of  this  busy,  beautiful  and 
charming  city. 


CHAPTER     XXXVI. 

MOKE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM. 

ANOTHER  RE-OPENING —  A  CHERRY-COLORED  CAT  —  THE  CAT  LET  OFT  OF  THU 
BAG  —  MY  FIRST  WHALING  EXPEDITION  —  PLANS  FOR  CAPTURE  —  SUCCESS 
OF  THE  SCHEME  —  TRANSPORTING  LIVING  WHALES  BY  LAND — PUBLIC  EX 
CITEMENT  —  THE  GREAT  TANK  —  SALT  WATER  PUMPED  FROM  THE  BAY  TO 
THE  MUSEUM  —  MORE  WHALES  —  EXPEDITION  TO  LABRADOR  —  THE  FIRST 
HIPPOPOTAMUS  EN  AMERICA  —  TROPICAL  *FISH  —  COMMODORE  NUTT  AND  HIS 
FIRST  "ENGAGEMENT" — THE  TWO  DROMIOS  —  PRESIDENT  LINCOLN  SEES 
COMMODORE  NUTT  —  WADING  ASHORE — A  QUESTION  OF  LEGS  —  SELF-DECEP 
TION —  THE  GOLDEN  ANGEL  FISH  —  ANNA  SWAN,  THE  NOVA  SCOTIA  GIANT 
ESS —  THE  TALLEST  WOMAN  IN  THE  WORLD  —  INDIAN  CHIEFS  —  EXPEDITION 
TO  CYPRUS  —  MY  AGENT  IN  A  PASHA'S  HAREM. 

ON  the  13th  of  October,  1860,  the  American  Museum 
was  the  scene  of  another  re-opening,  which  was,  in  fact, 
the  commencement  of  the  fall  dramatic  season,  the 
summer  months  having  been  devoted  to  pantomime.  A 
grand  nourish  of  trumpets  in  the  way  of  newspaper 
advertisements  and  flaming  posters  drew  a  crowded 
house.  Among  other  attractions,  it  was  announced 
that  Mr.  Barnum  would  introduce  a  mysterious  novelty 
never  before  seen  in  that  establishment.  I  appeared 
upon  the  stage  behind  a  small  table,  in  front  of  which 
was  nailed  a  white  sack,  on  which  was  inscribed,  in 
large  letters,  "  The  cat  let  out  of  the  bag."  I  then 
stated  that,  having  spent  two  of  the  summer  months  in 
the  country,  leaving  the  Museum  in  charge  of  Mr. 
Greenwood,  he  had  purchased  a  curiosity  with  which 
he  was  not  satisfied  ;  but,  for  my  part,  I  thought  he 
had  received  his  money's  worth,  and  I  proposed  to  ex- 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM.  561 

hibit  it  to  the  audience,  for  the  purpose  of  getting  their 
opinion  on  the  subject.  I  stated  that  a  farmer  came  in 
from  the  country,  and  said  he  had  got  a  "  cherry-colored 
cat "  at  home  which  he  would  like  to  sell ;  that  Mr. 
Greenwood  gave  him  a  writing  promising  to  pay  him 
twenty-five  dollars  for  such  a  cat  delivered  in  good 
health,  provided  it  was  not  artificially  colored  ;  and  that 
the  cat  was  then  in  the  bag  in  front  of  the  table,  ready 
for  exhibition.  Whereupon,  my  assistant  drew  from 
the  bag  a  common  black  cat,  and  I  informed  the  audi 
ence  that  when  the  farmer  brought  his  "  cherry-colored 
cat,"  he  quietly  remarked  to  Mr.  Greenwood,  that,  of 
course,  he  meant  "  a  cat  of  the  color  of  black  cherries." 
The  laughter  that  followed  this  narration  was  uproar 
ious,  and  the  audience  unanimously  voted  that  the 
"  cherry-colored  cat,"  all  things  considered,  was  well 
worth  twenty-five  dollars.  The  cat,  adorned  with  a 
collar  bearing  the  inscription,  "The  Cherry-colored 
Cat,"  was  then  placed  in  the  cage  of  the  "  Happy 
Family,"  and  the  story  getting  into  the  newspapers,  it 
became  another  advertisement  of  the  Museum. 

In  1861,  I  learned  that  some  fishermen  at  the  mouth 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  had  succeeded  in  capturing  a  living 
white  whale,  and  I  was  also  informed  that  a  whale  of 
this  kind,  if  placed  in  a  box  lined  with  sea-weed  and 
partially  filled  with  salt  water,  could  be  transported  by 
land  to  a  considerable  distance,  and  be  kept  alive.  It 
was  simply  necessary  that  an  attendant,  supplied  with  a 
barrel  of  salt  water  and  a  sponge,  should  keep  the 
mouth  and  blow-hole  of  the  whale  constantly  moist.  It 
seemed  incredible  that  a  living  whale  could  be  "  ex 
pressed"  by  railroad  on  a  five  days'  journey,  and  al 
though  I  knew  nothing  of  the  white  whale  or  its  habits, 


562  MORE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM. 

since  I  had  never  seen  one,  I  determined  to  experiment 
in  that  direction.  Landsman  as  I  was,  I  believed  that  I 
was  quite  as  competent  as  a  St.  Lawrence  fisherman  to 
superintend  the  capture  and  transportation  of  a  live 
white  whale. 

When  I  had  fully  made  up  my  mind  to  attempt  th? 
task,  I  made  every  provision  for  the  expedition,  and 
took  precaution  against  every  conceivable  contingency, 
I  determined  upon  the  capture  and  transport  to  my  Mu 
seum  of  at  least  two  living  whales,  and  prepared  in  the 
basement  of  the  building  a  brick  and  cement  tank,  forty 
feet  long,  and  eighteen  feet  wide,  for  the  reception  of 
the  marine  monsters.  When  this  was  done,  -taking 
two  trusty  assistants,  I  started  upon  my  whaling  expe 
dition.  Going  by  rail  to  Quebec,  and  thence  by  the 
Grand  Trunk  Railroad,  ninety  miles,  to  Wells  River, 
where  I  chartered  a  sloop  to  Elbow  Island  (Isle  au 
Coudres),  in  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  and  found  the 
place  populated  by  Canadian  French  people  of  the  most 
ignorant  and  dirty  description.  They  were  hospitable, 
but  frightfully  filthy,  and  they  gained  their  livelihood 
by  farming  and  fishing.  Immense  quantities  of  maple- 
sugar  are  made  there,  and  in  exploring  about  the  island, 
we  saw  hundreds  of  birch-bark  buckets  suspended  to  the 
trees  to  catch  the  sap.  After  numerous  consultations, 
extending  over  three  whole  days,  with  a  party  of  twenty- 
four  fishermen,  whose  gibberish  was  almost  as  untrans 
latable  as  it  was  unbearable,  I  succeeded  in  contracting 
for  their  services  to  capture  for  me,  alive  and  unharmed, 
a  couple  of  white  whales,  scores  of  which  could  at  all 
times  be  discovered  by  their  "  spouting "  within  sight 
of  the  island.  I  was  to  pay  these  men  a  stipulated 
price  per  day  for  their  labor,  and  if  they  secured  the 
whales,  they  were  to  have  a  liberal  bonus. 


MOKE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM.  563 

The  plan  decided  upon  was  to  plant  in  the  river  a 
*'  kraal,"  composed  of  stakes  driven  down  in  the  form 
of  a  V,  leaving  the  broad  end  open  for  the  whales  to 
enter.  This  was  done  in  a  shallow  place,  with  the 
point  of  the  kraal  towards  shore ;  and  if  hy  chance  one 
or  more  whales  should  enter  the  trap  at  high  water,  my 
fishermen  were  to  occupy  tlj,e  entrance  with  their  boats, 
and  keep  up  a  tremendous  splashing  and  noise  till  the 
tide  receded,  when  the  frightened  whales  would  iiud 
themselves  nearly  "  high  and  dry,"  or  with  too  little 
water  to  enable  them  to  swim,  and  their  capture  would 
be  the  next  thing  in  order.  This  was  to  be  effected  by 
securing  a  slip-noose  of  stout  rope  over  their  tails,  and 
towing  them  to  the  sea-weed  lined  boxes  in  which  they 
were  to  be  transported  to  New  York. 

All  this  was  simple  enough  "  on  paper" ;  but  several 
days  elapsed  before  a  single  spout  was  seen  inside  the 
kraal,  though  scores  of  whales  were  constantly  around 
and  near  it.  In  time,  it  became  exceedingly  aggravating 
to  see  the  whales  glide  so  near  the  trap  without  going 
into  it,  and  our  patience  was  sorely  tried.  One  day  a 
whale  actually  went  into  the  kraal,  and  the  fishermen 
proposed  to  capture  it;  bat  I  wanted  another,  a\)4fvrinle 
we  waited  for  number  two  to  go  in,  number  one,,kii$W 
ing  the  proverb,  probably,  and  having  an  eye  to  his  own 
interests,  went  out.  Two  days  afterwards,  I  was  awak 
ened  at  daylight  by  a  great  noise,  and :amid  the  clamor, 
of  many  voices,  I  caught  thq  cheering  news:  that  two 
whales  were  even  then  within.. the  .kraal,, /and-  hastily 
dressing  myself,  I  took  a,  boat :  for.,  the,  ;  .exciting  scene. 
The  real  difficulty,  which , was  to  get  the  whaJeSrinfcQ  the 
trap,  was  now  oye,i',ran^  the  4^ tails  of  capture 
portation  could  safely  bet  left  to  my  teusty . 


564  MORE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM. 

the  fishermen.  What  they  were  to  do  until  the  tide  went 
out  and  thereafter  was  once  more  fully  explained  ;  and 
after  depositing  money  enough  to  pay  the  bill,  if  the 
capture  was  successful,  I  started  at  once  for  Quebec. 
There  I  learned  by  telegraph  that  both  whales  had  been 
caught,  boxed,  and  put  on  board  sloop  for  the  nearest 
point  where  they  could  be  transhipped  in  the  cars.  I 
had  made  every  arrangement  with  the  railway  officials, 
and  had  engaged  a  special  car  for  the  precious  and 
curious  freight. 

Elated  as  I  was  at  the  result  of  this  novel  enterprise, 
I  had  no  idea  of  hiding  my  light  tinder  a  bushel,  and  I 
immediately  wrote  a  full  account  of  the  expedition,  its 
intention,  and  its  success,  for  publication  in  the  Quebec 
and  Montreal  newspapers.  I  also  prepared  a  largo 
number  of  brief  notices  which  I  left  at  every  station  on 
the  line,  instructing  telegraph  operators  to  "  take  off " 
all  "  whaling  messages  "  that  passed  over  the  wires  to 
New  York,  and  to  inform  their  fellow  townsmen  at 
what  hour  the  whales  would  pass  through  each  place. 
The  result  of  these  arrangements  may  be  imagined ;  at 
every  station  crowds  of  people  came  to  the  cars  to  see 
the  whales  which  were  travelling  by  land  to  Barnum's 
Museum,  and  those  who  did  not  see  the  monsters  with 
their  own  eyes,  at  least  saw  some  one  who  had  seen 
them,  and  I  thus  secured  a  tremendous  advertisement, 
seven  hundred  miles  long,  for  the  American  Museum. 

When  I  arrived  in  New  York,  a  dozen  despatches 
had  come  from  the  "  whaling  expedition."  and  they 
continued  to  cornc  every  few  hours.  These  I  bulletined 
in  front  of  the  Museum  and  sent  copies  to  the  papers. 
The  excitement  was  intense,  and,  when  at  last,  these 
marine  monsters  arrived  and  were  swimming  in  the  tank 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM.  565 

that  had  been  prepared  for  them,  anxious  thousands 
literally  rushed  to  see  the  strangest  curiosities  ever 
exhibited  in  New  York. 

Thus  was  my  first  whaling  expedition  a  great 
success ;  but  I  did  not  know  how  to  feed  or  to  take  care 
of  the  monsters,  and,  moreover,  they  were  in  fresh 
water,  and  this,  with  the  bad  air  in  the  basement,  may 
have  hastened  their  death,  which  occurred  a  few  days 
after  their  arrival,  but  not  before  thousands  of  people 
had  seen  them.  Not  at  all  discouraged,  I  resolved  to 
try  again.  My  plan  now  was  to  connect  the  water  of 
New  York  bay  with  the  basement  of  the  Museum  by 
means  of  iron  pipes  under  the  street,  and  a  steam  engine 
on  the  dock  to  pump  the  water.  This  I  actually  did  at  a 
cost  of  several  thousand  dollars,  with  an  extra  thousand 
to  the  aldermanic  "ring"  for  the  privilege,  and  I  con 
structed  another  tank  in  the  second  floor  of  the  building. 
This  tank  was  built  of  slate  and  French  glass  plates 
six  feet  long,  five  feet  broad,  and  one  inch  thick, 
imported  expressly  for  the  purpose,  and  the  tank,  when 
completed,  was  twenty-four  feet  square,  and  cost  $4,000. 
It  was  kept  constantly  supplied  with  what  would  be 
called  Hibernically,  "  fresh "  salt  water,  and  inside  of 
it  I  soon  had  two  wiiite  whales,  caught,  as  the  first  had 
been,  hundreds  of  miles  below  Quebec,  to  which  city 
they  were  carried  by  a  sailing  vessel,  and  from  thence 
were  brought  by  railway  to  New  York. 

Of  this  whole  enterprise,  I  confess  I  was  very  proud 
that  I  had  originated  it  and  brought  it  to  such  success 
ful  conclusion.  It  was  a  very  great  sensation,  and  it 
added  thousands  of  dollars  to  my  treasury.  The  whales, 
however,  soon  died  —  their  sudden  and  immense  popu 
larity  was  too  much  for  them  —  andj  then  despatched 


566  MORE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM. 

agents  to  the  coast  of  Labrador,  and  not  many  weeks 
thereafter  I  had  two  more  live  whales  disporting  them 
selves  in  my  monster  aquarium.  Certain  envious  people 
started  the  report  that  my  whales  were  only  por 
poises,  but  this  petty  malice  was  turned  to  good  account, 
for  Professor  Agassiz,  of  Harvard  University,  came  to 
see  them,  and  gave  me  a  certificate  that  they  were 
genuine  white  whales,  and  this  indorsement  I  published 
far  and  wide. 

The  tank  which  I  had  built  in  the  basement  served 
for  a  yet  more  interesting  exhibition.  On  the  l'2th  of 
August,  1861,  I  began  to  exhibit  the  first  and  only  gen 
uine  hippopotamus  that  had  ever  been  seen  in  America, 
and  for  several  weeks  the  Museum  was  thronged  by  the 
curious  who  came  to  see  the  monster.  I  advertised 
him  extensively  and  ingeniously,  as  "  the  great  behe 
moth  of  the  Scriptures,"  giving  a  full  description  of 
the  animal  and  his  habits,  and  thousands  of  cultivated 
people,  biblical  students,  and  others,  were  attracted  to 
this  novel  exhibition.  There  was  quite  as  much  ex 
citement  in  the  city  over  this  wonder  in  the  animal 
creation  as  there  was  in  London  when  the  first  hippo 
potamus  was  placed  in  the  zoological  collection  in  lie- 
gent's  Park. 

Having  a  stream  of  salt  water  at  my  command  at 
every  high  tide,  I  was  enabled  to  make  splendid  addi- 
1  tions  to  the  beautiful  aquarium,  which  I  was  the  first 
to  introduce  into  this  country.  I  not  only  procured 
living  sharks,  porpoises,  sea  horses,  and  many  rare 
fish  from  the  sea  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York,  but  in 
the  summer  of  1861,  I  despatched  a  fishing  smack  and 
crew  to  the  Island  of  Bermuda  and  its  neighborhood, 
whence  they  brought  scores  of  specimens  of  the  beau- 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM.  567 

tiful  "  angel  fish,"  and  numerous  other  tropical  fish  of 
brilliant  colors  and  unique  forms.  These  fish  were  a 
great  attraction  to  all  classes,  and  especially  to  natural 
ists  and  others,  who  commended  me  for  serving  the 
ends  of  science  as  well  as  amusement.  But  as  cold 
weather  approached,  these  tropical  fish  began  to  die, 
and  before  the  following  spring,  they  were  all  gone. 
I,  therefore,  replenished  this  portion  of  my  aquaria 
during  the  summer,  and  for  several  summers  in  suc 
cession,  by  sending  a  special  vessel  to  the  Gulf  for 
specimens.  These  operations  were  very  expensive, 
but  I  really  did  not  care  for  the  cost,  if  I  could  only 
secure  valuable  attractions. 

In  the  same  year,  I  bought  out  the  Aquarial  Gardens 
in  Boston,  and  soon  after  removed  the  collection  to  the 
Museum.  I  had  now  the  finest  assemblage  of  fresh  as 
well  as  salt  water  fish  ever  exhibited,  and  with  a  stand 
ing  offer  of  one  hundred  dollars  for  every  living  brook- 
trout,  weighing  four  pounds  or  more,  which  might  be 
brought  to  me,  I  soon  had  three  or  four  of  these 
beauties,  which  trout-fishermen  from  all  parts  of  the 
country  came  to  New  York  to  see.  But  the  trout  de 
partment  of  my  Museum  required  so  much  care,  and 
was  attended  with  such  constant  risks,  that  I  finally 
gave  it  up. 

In  December,  1861, 1  made  one  of  my  most  "  palpable 
hits."  I  was  visited  at  the  Museum  by  a  most  remark 
able  dwarf,  who  was  a  sharp,  intelligent  little  fellow, 
with  a  deal  of  drollery  and  wit.  He  had  a  splendid 
head,  was  perfectly  formed,  was  very  attractive,  and,  in 
short,  for  a  "  showman,"  he  was  a  perfect  treasure.  His 
name,  he  told  me,  was  George  Washington  Morrison 
Nutt,  and  his  father  was  Major  Eodnia  Nutt,  a  sub- 


568  MOfiE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM. 

etaxitial  farmer,  of  Manchester,  New  Hampshire.  I  was 
not  long  in  despatching  an  efficient  agent  to  Manchester, 
and  in  overcoming  the  competition  with  other  showmen 
who  were  equally  eager  to.  secure  this  extraordinary 
pigmy.  The  terms  upon  which  I  engaged  him  for  three 
years  .were  so.  large  that  he  was  christened  the  $30,000 
Nutt ;  I,  in..the  mean  time,  conferring  upon  him  the  title 
of  Commodore.  As  soon  as  I  engaged  him,  placards, 
poster*  and  "the  columns  of  the  newspapers  pro 
claimed ;  the  presence  of  "Commodore  Nutt,"  at  the 
Museum.  I  also  procured  for  .the  Commodore  a  pair 
of  Shetland  ponies,  miniature  coachman  and  footman,  in 
livery,  gold-mounted  harness  and  an  elegant  little 
carriage,  whiehi  when,  closed,  represented  a  gigantic 
English  walnut.  The  little  Commodore  attracted  great 
attention  and  grew  rapidly  in  public  favor.  General 
Tom  Thumb  was  then  travelling  in  the  South  and  West 
For  some  years  he  had.  not  been  exhibited  in  New  York, 
and  during  these  years  he  had  increased  considerably  in 
rotundity  and  had  changed  much  in  his  general  appear 
ance.  It  was  ,a  singular  .fact.,,  however,  that  Commodore 
Nutt  was  almost  a  fac-simile  of  General  Tom  Thumb,  as 
he  looked  half-a-dozen  years  before.  Consequently, 
very  many  of  my  patrons,  not  making  allowance  for  the 
time  which  had  elapsed  since  they  had  last  seen  the 
General,  declared  that  I  was  trying  to  play  "Mrs. 
Gamp"  with  my  "Mrs.  Harris";  that  there  was,  in 
fact,  no  such  person  as  "  Commodore  Nutt" ;  and  that  I 
was  exhibiting  my  old  friend  Tom  Thumb  under  a  new 
name.  The  mistake  was  very  natural,  and  to  me  it 
was  very  laughable,  for  the  more  I  tried  to  convince 
people  of  their  error,  the  more  they  winked  and  looked 
wise,,  and  said,  "  It's  pretty  well  done,  but  you  can't 
take  me  in.*' 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM.  569 

Commodore  Nutt  enjoyed  the  joke  very  much.  He 
would  sometimes  half  admit  the  deception,  simply  to 
add  to  the  bewilderment  of  the  doubting  portion  of 
my  visitors.  After  he  had  been  in  the  Museum  a  few 
weeks,  I  took  the  Commodore  to  Bridgeport  to  spend 
a  couple  of  days  by  way  of  relaxation.  Many  of  the 
citizens  of  Bridgeport,  who  had  known  Tom  Thumb 
from  his  birth,  would  salute  the  Commodore  as  the 
General  Tom  Thumb.  The  little  fellow  would  return 
these  salutes,  for  he  delighted  in  keeping  up  the  illusion. 

Going  into  a  crowded  barber-shop  one  morning  with 
the  little  Commodore,  we  met  my  friend  Mr.  Gideon 
Thompson,  who  was  sitting  there,  and  who  called 
out: 

"  Good  morning,  Charley;  "u.ow  are  you]  When  did 
you  get  home  ]  " 

"  I'm  quite  well,  thank  you,  and  I  arrived  last  night," 
responded  the  Commodore,  with  due  gravity. 

"  I've  got  a  horse  now  that  will  beat  yours,"  said  Mr. 
Thompson. 

"  He  must  be  pretty  fast,  then." 

"  Well,  Charley,  I'll  drive  out  by  your  mother's  the 
first  fine  day,  and  give  you  a  trial." 

"  All  right,"  said  little  Nutt,  "  but  you  had  better  not 
wager  too  much  on  your  fast  horse,  for  you  know  mine 
is  some  pumpkins." 

"Well,  Uncle  Gid.,"  I  exclaimed,  "  you  are  'had' 
this  time ;  this  little  gentleman  is  not  General  Tom 
Thumb,  but  Commodore  Nutt." 

"  What !  "  roared  friend  Gid.  ;  "  do  you  think  I  am  an 
infernal  fool?  Why,  I  knew  Charley  Stratton  years 
before  you  ever  saw  him,  did  n't  I,  General  ?  " 

No  one  in  the  room  suspected  that  my  little  friend 

26* 


570  MORE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM. 

was  any  other  than  General  Tom  Thumb,  till  Mr. 
William  Bassett,  the  General's  brother-in-law,  came  in 
and  remarked  the  "  wonderful  resemblance  to  our  little 
Charley,  as  he  looked  years  ago." 

"Is  not  this  the  General?"  inquired  half  a  dozen 
astonished  men,  who  were  speedily  assured  he  was  not, 
but  was  quite  another  person.  This  gave  rise  to  a 
proposition  to  exhibit  the  Commodore  to  the  General's 
mother,  and  a  coach  was  procured,  and  Mr.  Bassett,  the 
Commodore,  and  I  went  to  Mrs.  Strattoifs  house. 
When  we  arrived,  the  Commodore  shouted  out: 

"  How  are  you,  mother]  " 


the  mother,  of  all  persons  in  Bridgeport,  was 
not  to  be  deceived,  though  she  expressed  her  astonish 
ment  at  the  very  striking  likeness  the  Commodore  bore 
to  her  son  as  he  once  looked.  Mrs.  Bassett  concurred 
in  the  testimony  and  said  the  Commodore  looked  so 
much  like  her  brother  that  she  was  loth  to  let  him  go. 
It  is  no  wonder  that  other  people  were  deceived  by  the 
resemblance. 

It  was  evident  that  here  was  an  opportunity  to  turn 
dLL  do"obts>  into  hard  cash  by  simply  bringing  the  two 
dwarf  Dromios  together,  and  showing  them  on  the 
teame;-piyform.  I  therefore  induced  Tom  Thumb  to 
bring  -Ms-  Western  engagements  to  a  close,  and  to  appear 
for  four  weeks,  beginning  with  August  11,  Ib62,  in 
my  Mt&gflrav  Announcements  headed  "The  Two 
fiD?ri3nA0K/^'-Qhd^u  Two  Smallest  Men,  and  Greatest 
Curiosities  Living,"  as  I  expected,  drew  large  crowds 
My  and  many  came  especially  to  solve  their 
Regard  to  the  genuineness  of  the  "  Nutt." 
But  here  I  was  considerably  nonplussed,  for  astonishing 
•as  it  may  seem,  tfke  doubts  of  many  of  the  visitors  were 


MOKE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM.  571 

confirmed!  The  sharp  people  who  were  determined 
"  not  to  be  humbugged,  anyhow,"  still  declared  that 
Commodore  Nutt  was  General  Tom  Thumb,  and  that 
the  little  fellow  whom  I  was  trying  to  pass  off  as 
Tom  Thumb,  was  no  move  like  the  General  than  he  was 
like  the  man  in  the  Moon.  It  is  very  amusing  to  see 
how  people  will  sometimes  deceive  themselves  by  being 
too  incredulous. 

As  an  illustration  —  the  "  Australian  Golden  Pigeons  " 
which  deceived  Old  Adams  were  the  occasion  of  another 
ludicrous  incident.  A  shrewd  lady,  one  of  my  neigh 
bors  in  Connecticut,  was  visiting  the  Must/urn,  and  after 
inspecting  the  "  Golden  Angel  Fish"  swimming  in  one 
of  the  aquaria,  she  abruptly  addressed  me  : 

"  You  can't  humbug  me,  Mr.  Barnum ;  that  fish  is 
painted  ! " 

"  Nonsense ! "  said  I,  with  a  laugh  ;  u  the  thing  is 
impossible." 

"  I  don't  care,  I  know  it  is  painted  ;  it  is  as  plain  as 
can  be." 

"  But,  my  dear  Mrs.  II.,  paint  would  not  adhere  to  a 
fish  in  the  water  ;  and  if  it  would,  it  would  kill  him." 

She  left  the  Museum  not  more  than  half  convinced, 
and  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  I  met  her  in  the 
California  Menagerie.  She  knew  I  was  part  proprietor 
in  the  establishment,  and  seeing  me  in  conversation 
with  Old  Adams,  she  came  to  me,  her  eyes  glistening 
with  excitement,  and  exclaimed  — 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Barnum,  I  never  saw  anything  so  beautiful 
as  those  elegant  "  Golden  Pigeons  " ;  you  must  give  me 
some  of  their  eggs  for  my  own  pigeons  to  hatch ;  I 
should  prize  them  beyond  measure." 

"Oh,  you  don't  want  c  Golden  Pigeons/  I  said; 
"  they  are  painted." 


572  MOKE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM. j 

"  No,  they  are  not  painted,"  said  she,  with  a  laugh, 
"  but  I  half  think  the  •«  Angel  Fish '  is." 

I  could  scarcely  control  my  laughter  as  I  explained : 
"  Now,  Mrs.  H.,  I  never  spoil  a  good  joke,  even  when 
the  exposure  betrays  a  Museum  secret.  I  assure  you, 
upon  honor,  that  the  "  Australian  Golden  Pigeons,"  as 
they  are  labelled,  are  really  painted  ;  I  bought  them  for 
the  sole  purpose  of  giving  Old  Adams  a  lesson ;  in  their 
natural  state  they  are  nothing  more  than  common  white 
ruff-neck  pigeons."  She  was  convinced,  and  to  this 
day  she  blushes  whenever  any  allusion  is  made  to  the 
"  Angel  Fish  "  or  the  "  Golden  Pigeons." 

In  1862,  I  sent  the  Commodore  to  Washington,  and 
joining  him  there,  I  received  an  invitation  from  Presi 
dent  Lincoln  to  call  at  the  White  House  with  my  little 
friend.  Arriving  at  the  appointed  hour  I  was  informed 
that  the  President  was  in  a  special  cabinet  meeting,  but 
that  he  had  left  word  if  I  called  to  be  shown  in  to  him 
with  the  Commodore.  These  were  dark  days  in  the 
rebellion  and  I  felt  that  my  visit,  if  not  ill-timed,  must 
at  all  events  be  brief.  When  we  were  admitted  Mr. 
Lincoln  received  us  cordially,  and  introduced  us  to  the 
members  of  the  cabinet.  When  Mr.  Chase  was  intro 
duced  as  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  the  little 
Commodore  remarked : 

"  I  suppose  you  are  the  gentleman  who  is  spending 
so  much  of  Uncle  Sam's  money  1 " 

"  No,  indeed,"  said  Secretary  of  War  Stanton.  very 
promptly  :  "  I  am  spending  the  money." 

"  Well,"  said  Commodore  Nutt,  "  it  is  in  a  good  cause, 
anyhow,  and  I  guess  it  will  come  out  all  right." 

His  apt  remark  created  much  amusement.  Mr. 
Lincoln  then  bent  down  his  long,  lank  body,  and  taking 
Nutt  by  fee  hand,  }IQ  gaid; 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM.  573 

"  Commodore,  permit  me  to  give  you  a  parting  word 
of  advice.  When  you  are  in  command  of  your  fleet,  if 
you  find  yourself  in  danger  of  being  taken  prisoner,  I 
advise  you  to  wade  ashore." 

The  Commodore  found  the  laugh  was  against  him, 
but  placing  himself  at  the  side  of  the  President,  and 
gradually  raising  his  eyes  up  the  whole  length  of  Mr. 
Lincoln's  very  long  legs,  he  replied : 

.  "  I  guess  Mr.  President,  you  could  do  that  better  than 
I  could." 

Commodore  Nutt  and  the  Nova  Scotia  giantess,  Anna 
Swan,  illustrate  the  old  proverb  sufficiently  to  show  how 
extremes  occasionally  met  in  my  Museum.  He  was  the 
shortest  of  men  and  she  was  the  tallest  of  women.  I 
first  heard  of  her  through  a  quaker  who  came  into  my 
office  one  day  and  told  me  of  a  wonderful  girl,  seventeen 
years  of  age,  who  resided  near  him  at  Pictou,  Nova 
Scotia,  and  who  was  probably  the  tallest  girl  in  the 
world.  I  asked  him  to  obtain  her  exact  height,  on  his 
return  home,  which  he  did  and  sent  it  to  me,  and  I  at 
once  sent  an  agent  who  in  due  time  came  back  with 
Anna  Swan.  She  was  an  intelligent  and  by  no  means 
ill-looking  girl,  and  during  the  long  period  while  she 
was  in  my  employ  she  was  visited  by  thousands  of 
persons.  After  the  burning  of  my  second  Museum,  she 
went  to  England  where  she  attracted  great  attention. 

For  many  years  I  had  been  in  the  habit  of  engaging 
parties  of  American  Indians  from  the  far  West  to 
exhibit  at  the  Museum,  and  had  sent  two  or  more 
Indian  companies  to  Europe,  where  they  were 
regarded  as  very  great  "  curiosities."  In  1864,  ten  or 
twelve  chiefs  of  as  many  different  tribes,  visited  the 
President  of  the  United  States  at  Washington.  By  a 


574  MORE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM. 

pretty  liberal  outlay  of  money,  I  succeeded  in  inducing 
the  interpreter  to  bring  them  to  New  York,  and  to  pass 
some  days  at  my  Museum.  Of  course,  getting  these 
Indians  to  dance,  or  to  give  any  illustration  of  their 
games  or  pastimes,  was  out  of  the  question.  They 
were  real  chiefs  of  powerful  tribes,  and  would  no  more 
have  consented  to  give  an  exhibition  of  themselves  than 
the  Chief  Magistrate  of  our  own  nation  would  have 
done.  Their  interpreter  could  not  therefore  promise 
that  they  would  remain  at  the  Museum  for  any  definite 
time ;  "  for,"  said  he,  "  you  can  only  keep  them  just 
so  long  as  they  suppose  all  your  patrons  come  to  pay 
them  visits  of  honor.  If  they  suspected  that  your 
Museum  was  a  place  where  people  paid  for  entering," 
he  continued, "  you  could  not  keep  them  a  moment  after 
the  discovery." 

On  their  arrival  at  the  Museum,  therefore,  I  took 
them  upon  the  stage  and  personally  introduced  them  to 
the  public.  The  Indians  liked  this  attention  from  me, 
as  they  had  been  informed  that  I  was  the  proprietor  of 
the  great  establishment  in  which  they  were  invited  and 
honored  guests.  My  patrons  were  of  course  pleased  to 
see  these  old  chiefs,  as  they  knew  they  were  the  "  real 
thing,"  and  several  of  them  were  known  to  the  public, 
either  as  being  friendly  or  cruel  to  the  whites.  After 
one  or  two  appearances  upon  the  stage,  I  took  them  in 
carriages  and  visited  the  Mayor  of  New  York  in  the 
Governor's  room  at  the  City  Hall.  Here  the  Mayor 
made  them  a  speech  of  welcome,  which  being 
interpreted  to  the  savages  was  responded  to  by  a 
speech  from  one  of  the  chiefs,  in  which  he  thanked  the 
great  "  Father  "  of  the  city  for  his  pleasant  words,  and 
for  his  kindness  in  pointing  out  the  portraits  of  his 


MOKE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM.  575 

predecessors  hanging  on  the  walls  of  the  Governor's 
room. 

On  another  occasion,  I  took  them  by  special  invita 
tion  to  visit  one  of  the  large  public  schools  up  town. 
The  teachers  were  pleased  to  see  them,  and  arranged 
an  exhibition  of  special  exercises  by  the  scholars,  which 
they  thought  would  be  most  likely  to  gratify  their 
barbaric  visitors.  At  the  close  of  these  exercises,  one 
old  chief  arose*  and  simply  said,  "  This  is  all  new  to  us. 
We  are  mere  unlearned  sons  of  the  forest,  and  cannot 
understand  what  we  have  seen  and  heard." 

On  other  occasions,  I  took  them  to  ride  in  Central 
Park,  and  through  different  portions  of  the  city.  At 
every  street  corner  which  we  passed,  they  would 
express  their  astonishment  to  each  other,  at  seeing  the 
long  rows  of  houses  which  extended  both  ways  011 
either  side  of  each  cross-street.  Of  course,  between 
each  of  these  outside  visits  I  would  return  with  them  to 
the  Museum,  and  secure  two  or  three  appearances  upon 
the  stage  to  receive  the  people  who  had  there  congre 
gated  "  to  do  them  honor." 

As  they  regarded  me  as  their  host,  they  did  not 
hesitate  to  trespass  upon  my  hospitality.  Whenever 
their  eyes  rested  upon  a  glittering  shell  among  my 
specimens  of  conchology,  especially  if  it  had  several 
brilliant  colors,  one  would  take  off  his  coat,  another  his 
shirt,  and  insist  that  I  should  exchange  my  shell  for 
their  garment.  When  I  declined  the  exchange,  but  on 
the  contrary  presented  them  .with  the  coveted  article, 
I  soon  found  I  had  established  a  dangerous  precedent. 
Immediately,  they  all  commenced  to  beg  for  everything 
in  my  vast  collection,  which  they  happened  to  take  a 
liking  to.  This  cost  me  many  valuable  specimens,  and 


576  MOBE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM. 

often  "  put  me  to  my  trumps  "  for  an  excuse  to  avoid 
giving  them  things  which  I  could  not  part  with. 

The  chief  of  one  of  the  tribes  one  day  discovered  an 
ancient  shirt  of  chain-mail  which  hung  in  one  of  my 
cases  of  antique  armor.  He  was  delighted  with  it,  and 
declared  he  must  have  it.  I  tried  all  sorts  of  excuses 
to  prevent  his  getting  it,  for  it  had  cost  me  a  hundred 
dollars  and  was  a  great  curiosity.  But  the  old  man's 
eyes  glistened,  and  he  would  not  take  "  no "  for  an 
answer.  "The  Utes  have  killed  my  little  child,"  he 
told  me  through  the  interpreter;  and  now  he  must 
have  this  steel  shirt  to  protect  himself;  and  when  he 
returned  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  he  would  have  his 
revenge.  I  remained  inexorable  until  he  finally  brought 
me  a  new  buckskin  Indian  suit,  which  he  insisted  upon 
exchanging.  I  felt  compelled  to  accept  his  proposal  ; 
and  never  did  I  see  a  man  more  delighted  than  he 
seemed  to  be  when  he  took  the  mailed  shirt  into  his 
hands.  He  fairly  jumped  up  and  down  with  joy.  He 
ran  to  his  lodging  room,  and  soon  appeared  again  with 
the  coveted  armor  upon  his  body,  and  marched  down 
one  of  the  main  halls  of  the  Museum,  with  folded  arms, 
and  head  erect,  occasionally  patting  his  breast  with  his 
right  hand,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  now,  Mr.  Ute,  look 
sharp,  for  I  will  soon  be  on  the  war  path !  " 

Among  these  Indians  were  War  Bonnet,  Lean  Bear, 
and  Hand-in-the-water,  chiefs  of  the  Cheyennes; 
Yellow  Buffalo,  of  the  Kiowas  ;  Yellow  Bear,  of  the 
same  tribe ;  Jacob,  of  the  Caddos  ;  and  White  Bull,  of 
the  Apaches.  The  little  wiry  chief  known  as  Yellow 
Bear  had  killed  many  whites  as  they  had  travelled 
through  the  "  far  West."  He  was  a  sly,  treacherous, 
blood-thirsty  savage,  who  would  think  no  more  of 


MORE   ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM. 

- 

scalping  a  family  of  women  and  children,  than  a  butcher 
would  of  wringing  the  neck  of  a  chicken.  But  now 
he  was  on  a  mission  to  the  "  Great  Father  "  at  Wash 
ington,  seeking  for  presents  and  favors  for  his  trib^; 
and  he  pretended  to  be  exceedingly  meek  and  humble, 
and  continually  urged  the  interpreter  to  announce  him 
as  a  "  great  friend  to  the  white  man."  He  would  fawn 
about  me,  and  although  not  speaking  or  understanding 
a  word  of  our  language,  would  try  to  convince  me 
that  he  loved  me  dearly. 

In  exhibiting  these  Indian  warriors  on  the  stage,  I 
explained  to  the  large  audiences  the  names  and  charac 
teristics  of  each.  When  I  came  to  Yellow  Bear  I 
would  pat  him  familiarly  upon  the  shoulder,  which 
always  caused  him  to  look  up  to  me  with  a  pleasant 
smile,  while  he  softly  stroked  down  my  arm  with  his 
right  hand  in  the  most  loving  manner.  Knowing  that 
he  could  not  understand  a  word  I  said,  I  pretended 
to  be  complimenting  him  to  the  audience,  while  I  was 
really  saying  something  like  the  following : 

"  This  little  Indian,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  is  Yellow 
Bear,  chief  of  the  Kiowas.  He  has  killed,  no  doubt, 
scores  of  white  persons,  and  he  is  probably  the  meanest, 
black-hearted  rascal  that  lives  in  the  far  West."  Here 
I  patted  him  on  the  head,  and  he,  supposing  I  was 
sounding  his  praises,  would  smile,  fawn  upon  me,  and 
stroke  my  arm,  while  I  continued  :  "If  the  blood-thirsty 
little  villain  understood  what  I  was  saying,  he  would 
kill  me  in  a  moment ;  but  as  he  thinks  I  am  compli 
menting  him,  I  can  safely  state  the  truth  to  you,  that  he 
is  a  lying,  thieving,  treacherous,  murderous  monster. 
He  has  tortured  to  death  poor,  unprotected  women, 
murdered  their  husbands,  brained  their  helpless  little 


578  MORE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM. 

ones ;  and  he  would  gladly  do  the  same  to  you  or  to 
me,  if  he  thought  he  could  escape  punishment.  This  is 
but  a  faint  description  of  the  character  of  Yellow  Bear." 
Here  I  gave  him  another  patronizing  pat  on  the  head, 
and  he,  with  a  pleasant  smile,  bowed  to  the  audience,  as 
much  as  to  say  that  my  words  were  quite  true,  and  that 
he  thanked  me  very  much  for  the  high  encomiums  I  had 
so  generously  heaped  upon  him. 

After  they  had  been  about  a  week  at  the  Museum, 
one  of  the  chiefs  discovered  that  visitors  paid  money  for 
entering.  This  information  he  soon  communicated  to 
the  other  chiefs,  and  I  heard  an  immediate  murmur  of 
discontent.  Their  eyes  were  opened,  and  no  power 
could  induce  them  to  appear  again  upon  the  stage. 
Their  dignity  had  been  offended,  and  their  wild,  flashing 
eyes  were  anything  but  agreeable.  Indeed,  I  hardly  felt 
safe  in  their  presence,  and  it  was  with  a  feeling  of  relief 
that  I  witnessed  their  departure  for  Washington  the  next 
morning. 

In  the  spring  of  1864,  the  United  States  Consul  at 
Larnica,  Island  of  Cyprus,  Turkish  Dominions,  wrote 
me  a  letter,  declaring  that  he  and  the  English  Consul, 
an  American  physician,  resident  in  the  island,  and  a 
large  company  of  Europeans  as  well  as  natives,  had 
seen  the  most  remarkable  object,  no  doubt,  in  the 
world,  —  a  lusus  naturce,  a  feminine  phenomenon.  This 
woman  was  represented  to  have  "  four  cornicles  on  her 
head,  and  one  large  horn,  equal  in  size  to  an  ordinary 
rani's  horn,  growing  out  of  the  side  of  her  head  " ;  and 
the  consistency  of  the  horns  was  represented  to  be 
similar  to  'that  of  cows'  or  goats'  horns.  This  singular 
story  continued :  "  These  horns  have  been  growing  for 
ten  or  twelve  years,  and  were  carefully  concealed  by  the 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM.  579 

woman  until  a  few  weeks  since,  when  a  vision  appeared 
in  the  person  of  an  old  man,  and  warned  her  to  remove 
the  veil  she  wore,  or  God  would  punish  her.  She  sent 
to  the  Greek  priest  (she  being  of  that  persuasion),  and 
confessed  to  him,  and  was  ordered  to  uncover  her  head, 
which  she  at  once  did."  She  was  subsequently  seen  by 
the  entire  population,  and  the  French  consul,  in  com 
pany  with  others,  offered  her  fifty  thousand  piastres  to 
go  to  Paris  for  exhibition.  The  English  consul,  I  was 
further  informed,  had  pronounced  this  woman  to  be 
"  worth  her  weight  in  gold  "  ;  and  I  was  assured  that  if 
I  wished  to  add  her  to  my  "  wonderful  Museum,  and 
present  to  the  American  public  the  -most  remarkable 
object  yet  exhibited,"  I  had  only  to  "  send  an  agent  im 
mediately  to  secure  the  prize." 

Informing  myself  of  the  trustworthiness  of  my  cor 
respondent  (who  also  wrote  a  similar  account  to  the 
New  York  Observer),  I  was  not  long  in  making  up  my 
mind  to  secure  this  freak  of  nature ;  and  I  despatched 
Mr.  John  Greenwood,  Jr.,  in  the  steamer  a  City  of  Bal 
timore,"  for  Liverpool,  April  80,  1864.  He  went  to 
London  and  Paris,  and  thence  to  Marseilles,  where  he 
took  a  Syrian  and  Egyptian  steamer  to  Palermo,  and 
from  thence  proceeded  to  Cyprus.  On  arriving,  if  he 
could  have  seen  the  woman  at  once,  he  could  have  re- 
embarked  on  the  steamer,  which  sailed  again  in  a  few 
hours  for  other  islands  ;  but  unfortunately,  the  woman 
was  a  few  miles  in  the  interior,  and  poor  Greenwood 
was  detained  a  month  on  the  island  before  he  could 
take  another  steamer  to  get  away.  Worse  yet,  the 
woman,  spite  of  the  impression  she  had  made  upon  so 
many  and  such  respectable  witnesses,  was  really  no  curi 
osity  after  all,  as  it  proved  upon  examination,  that 


580  MOKE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM. 

her  "  horns  "  were  not  horns  at  all,  but  fleshy  excres 
cences,  which  may  have  been  singularly  shaped  tumors, 
or  wens.  It  is  needless  to  add  that  my  agent  did  not 
engage  her ;  and  after  a  month  of  discomfort  and  hard 
living,  he  succeeded  in  getting  away,  and  sailed  for 
Constantinople,  mainly  to  see  what  could  be  done  in  the 
way  of  securing  one  or  more  Circassian  women  for  ex 
hibition  in  my  Museum. 

On  his  way  through  the  Mediterranean,  he  had  the 
following  adventure :  On  board  the  steamer,  the  harem 
of  a  Turkish  Pasha  occupied  one  side  of  the  quarter 
deck,  which  was  divided  off  from  the  rest  by  a  hurdle 
fence  run  longitudinally  through  the  middle  of  the  deck. 
Greenwood  was  one  day  sitting  in  an  easy  chair  with 
his  back  to  these  women  and  their  attendants,  when, 
feeling  his  chair  move,  he  turned  and  saw  one  of  the 
Pasha's  wives  getting  over  the  hurdle,  and  as  there  was 
scarcely  room  for  her  to  squeeze  herself  between  the 
chairs  in  which  passengers  were  sitting,  he  moved  his 
own  chair  but  of  the  way  and  rising,  offered  his  hand 
to  assist  the  woman  over  the  fence.  She  indignantly 
jumped  back,  and  Greenwood  was  immediately  seized 
by  two  of  the  Pasha's  attendants,  violently  shaken,  and 
taken  to  task  in  Turkish  for  daring  to  offer  to  touch  the 
hand  of  one  of  his  Excellency's  women.  Greenwood  had 
that  day  formed  the  acquaintance  of  a  fellow-passenger, 
a  young  Greek  from  Scio,  who  was  going  to  Beyrout  to 
act  as  clerk  for  a  merchant  in  that  place.  He  spoke 
good  English,  and  seeing  Greenwood  in  trouble  among 
the  Turks,  and  knowing  that  he  could  speak  neither 
Greek  nor  Arabic,  he  went  to  the  rescue,  and  demanded 
an  explanation  of  the  difficulty. 

Upon  hearing  what  was  the  trouble,  he  informed  the 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  MUSEUM.  581 

turbulent  fellows  that  Greenwood  had  no  motive  in  his 
act  beyond  simple  common  courtesy.  The  prisoner, 
however,  was  still  detained  in  the  grasp  of  the  Turks,  till 
the  will  of  the  insulted  Pasha  could  be  known.  On 
deck  soon  came  the  irate  Pasha,  in  company  with  an  old 
gentleman  who  was  said  to  have  been  tutor,  formerly,; 
to  the  present  Sultan  of  Turkey.  When  the  two  heard 
the  charge  and  the  explanation,  and  had  consulted  to 
gether  a  little  while,  Greenwood  was  released.  But 
for  the  friendly  interposition  of  the  Greek,  he  might 
have  been  bastinadoed,  or  even  bowstrung. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  voyage  he  was  closely 
watched,  but  he  was  very  careful  to  be  guilty  of  no 
act  of  "  politeness,"  and  he  went  on  shore  at  Constan 
tinople  without  so  much  as  saying  good-by  to  the  Pasha. 
In  Constantinople  he  had  some  very  singular  adven 
tures.  To  carry  out  his  purpose  of  getting  access  to 
the  very  interior  of  the  slave-marts,  he  dressed  himself 
in  full  Turkish  costume,  learned  a  few  words  and 
phrases  which  would  be  necessary  in  his  assumed  char 
acter  as  a  slave-buyer,  and,  as  the  Turks  are  a  notably 
reticent  people,  he  succeeded  very  well  in  passing  him 
self  off  for  what  he  appeared,  though  he  ran  a  risk  of 
detection  many  times  every  day.  In  this  manner,  he 
saw  a  large  number  of  Circassian  girls  and  women, 
some  of  them  the  most  beautiful  beings  he  had  ever 
seen,  and  after  a  month  in  Constantinople  and  in  other 
Turkish  cities,  he  sailed  for  Marseilles,  then  went  to 
Paris,  picking  up  many  treasures  for  my  Museum,  arid 
returned  to  New  York,  after  a  journey  of  13,112  miles. 


boowc 


flO     .nv/Qfn[  od  jjIfKo  .sifcw;*!  LoiJii^-ii 
CHAPTER    XXAvn 

. 
.       MR.   AND  MRS.   GENERAL  TOM  THUMB. 


LAVTNIA  WARREN —  A  CHARMING  LITTLE  LADY  —  SUPPOSED  TO  F.E  THE 
$30,000  NUTT  IN  DISGUISE  — HER  WARDRoiiE  'AXD  PHKSKNTtJ — STORY  OF  A 
K1XG  —  THE  LITTLE  COMMODOUE  IX  LOVE  —  TOM  THUMB  SMITTEN  — 'RIVALRY 
OF  THE  DWARFS  —  .IEAIX)USY  OF  THE  GENERAL — VISIT  AT  BRIDGEPORT  — 
THK  GENERAL'S  STYLISH  TTRN-OUT  —  MI*S  WARREN  IMPRESSED  —  CALL  OF 

THE  GENERAL  —  A  ULIPLf'flAN  LOVE  'SCENE — ToAI  TH UJMi?' 9 '  INVENTORY  OF 
HIS  PROPERTY  —  HE  PROPOSES  AND  IS  ACCEPTED  —  ARRFVAL  OF  (THE.  COM 
MODORE —  HIS  (iRIEF  —  EXCI1EMEMT  OVKR  THE  ENGAGEMENT  -r- THE  WED^ 
DING  IN  GRACE  CHURCH  —  REVEREND  .TUNIUS  \TILLEY  —  A  SPICY  LETTER  BY 
DOCTOR  TAYLOR— GRAND  RECEPTION  OF  MR.  AXD  MRS.  STKATTON — THE 
COMMODORE  IN  SEARCH  OF  A  GREEN  COUNTRY  GIRL. 

/'     'If '  rjn'fli -!     V*tC>'/    yf:lr<H    JJOli    Oil    Oil"[O/IlJiI«t*t^UO  ^       » 

IN  1862  I  heard  of  an  extraordinary  dwarf  girl, 
named  Lavinia  Warren,  who  was  residing  with  her 
parents  at  Middleboro',  Massachusetts,  and  I  sent  an 
invitation  to  her  and  her  parents  to  come  and  visit  me 
at  Bridgeport.  They  came,  and  I  found  her  to  he  a 
most  intelligent  and  refined  young  lady,  well  educated, 
arid  an  accomplished,  beautiful  and  perfectly-developed 
woman  in  miniature.  I  succeeded  in  making  an  engage 
ment  with  her  for  several  years,  during  wliic-h  she  con 
tracted  —  as  dwarfs  are  said  to  have  the  power  to  do  — 
to  visit  Great  Britain,  France,  and  other  foreign  lands. 

Having  arranged  the  terms  of  her  engagement,  I  took 
her  to  the  house  of  one  of  my  daughters  in  New  Y\ork, 
where  she  remained  quietly,  while  1  was  procuring  her 
wardrobe  and  jewelry,  and  making  arrangements  for  her 
debut.  As  yet,  nothing  had  been  said  in  the  papers 
about  this  interesting  young  lady,  and  one  day  as  I  was 


MR.   AND  MBS.   GENERAL  TOM  THUMB.  583 

taking  her  home  with  me  to  Bridgeport,  I  met  in  the 
cars  the  wife  of  a  wealthy  menagerie  proprietor,  who 
introduced  me  to  her  two  daughters,  young  ladies  of 
sixteen  and  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  then  said : 

"  You  have  disguised  the  little  Commodore  very 
nicely." 

"  That  is  not  Commodore  Nutt,"  I  replied,  "  it  is  i 
young  lady  whom  I  have  recently  discovered." 

"  Very  well  done,  Mr.  Barnum,"  replied  Mrs.  B  ,  with 
a  look  of  self  satisfaction. 

"  Really,"  I  repeated,  "  this  is  a  young  lady." 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Barnum,  but  I  know  Commodore 
Nutt  in  whatever  costume  you  put  him ;  and  1  re 
cognized  him  the  moment  you  brought  him  into  the 
car." 

"  But,  Mrs.  B.,"  I  replied,  "  Commodore  Nutt  is  now 
exhibiting  in  the  Museum,  and  this  is  a  little  lady  whom 
I  hope  to  bring  before  the  public  soon." 

"  Mr.  Barnum,"  she  replied,  "  you  forget  that  I  am  a 
showman's  wife,  conversant  with  all  the  showman's 
tricks,  and  that  I  cannot  be  deceived." 

Seeing  there  was  no  prospect  of  convincing  her,  I 
replied  in  a  confidential  whisper,  for  such  chance  for  a 
joke  was  not  to  be  lost : 

"  Well,  I  see  you  are  too  sharp  for  me,  but  I  beg  you 
not  to  mention  it,  for  you  are  the  only  person  on  board 
this  train  who  suspects  it  is  the  Commodore." 

"  I  will  say  nothing,"  she  replied,  "  but  do  please 
bring  the  little  fellow  over  here,  for  my  daughters  have 
never  seen  him." 

I  stepped  and  told  Lavinia  the  joke  and  asked  her 
to  help  carry  it  out.     I  then  took  her  over  where  she 
got  a  seat  in  the  midst  of  the  three  ladies. 
27" 


584  MB.   AND  MRS.   GENERAL  TOM  THUMB. 

"Ah,  Commodore,"  whispered  Mrs.  B.,  "  you  hava 
done  it  pretty  well,  but  bless  you,  I  knew  those  eyes 
and  that  nose  the  moment  I  saw  you." 

"  Your  eyes  must  be  pretty  sharp,  then,"  replied 
Lavinia. 

"  Oh,  you  see  people  in  our  line  understand  these 
things,  and  are  never  deceived  by  appearances ;  but 
let  me  introduce  you  to  these  two  young  ladies,  my 
daughters." 

"  We  are  happy  to  see  you,  sir,"  said  one  of  the 
young  ladies.  They  then  enjoyed  a  very  animated  con 
versation,  in  the  course  of  which  they  asked  the  "  Com 
modore  "  all  about  his  family,  and  Lavinia  managed  to 
answer  the  questions  in  such  a  way  as  to  avoid  sus 
picion.  The  ladies  then  informed  the  "  Commodore " 
that  there  was  a  sweet  little  lady  living  in  their  town 
only  sixteen  years  old,  and  if  he  would  visit  them,  they 
would  introduce  him ;  that  her  family  was  highly  re 
spectable,  and  she  would  make  him  a  capital  wife ! 
Lavinia  thanked  them  and  promised  to  visit  them  if 
it  should  be  convenient.  As  the  ladies  left  the  car, 
they  shook  hands  with  Lavinia,  kissed  her,  and  in  a 
whisper  said  "  good  morning,  sir."  Meeting  the  hus 
band  of  the  lady,  some  weeks  afterwards,  I  told  him 
the  joke,  and  he  enjoyed  it  so  highly  that  he  will  prob 
ably  never  let  his  wife  and  daughters  hear  the  last  of  it, 

I  purchased  a  very  splendid  wardrobe  for  Miss  War 
ren,  including  scores  of  the  richest  dresses  that  could 
be  procured,  costly  jewels,  and  in  fact  everything  that 
could  add  to  the  charms  of  her  naturally  charming  little 
person.  She  was  then  placed  on  exhibition  at  the 
Museum  and  from  the  day  of  her  debut  she  was  ai? 
extraordinary  success.  Commodore  Nutt  was  on  exhi_ 


MB.  AND  MBS.   GENEBAL  TOM  THUMB.  585 

bition  with  her,  and  although  he  was  several  years  her 
junior  he  evidently  took  a  great  fancy  to  her.  One  day 
I  presented  to  Lavinia  a  diamond  and  emerald  ring,  and 
as  it  did  not  exactly  fit  her  finger,  I  told  her  I  would 
give  her  another  one  and  that  she  might  present  this 
one  to  the  Commodore  in  her  own  name.  She  did  so, 
and  an  unlooked-for  effect  was  speedily  apparent ;  the 
little  Commodore  felt  sure  that  this  was  a  love-token, 
and  poor  Lavinia  was  in  the  greatest  trouble,  for  she 
considered  herself  quite  a  woman,  and  regarded  the 
Commodore  only  as  a  nice  little  boy.  But  she  did  not 
like  to  offend  him,  and  while  she  did  not  encourage,  she 
did  not  openly  repel  his  attentions.  Miss  Lavinia  War 
ren,  however,  was  never  destined  to  be  Mrs.  Commodore 
Nutt, 

It  was  by  no  means  an  unnatural  circumstance  that  I 
should  be  suspected  of  having  instigated  and  brought 
about  the  marriage  of  Tom  Thumb  with  Lavinia  War 
ren.  Had  I  done  this,  I  should  at  this  day  have  felt  no 
regrets,  for  it  has  proved,  in  an  eminent  degree,  one  of 
the  "  happy  marriages."  I  only  say,  what  is  known  to 
all  of  their  immediate  friends,  that  from  first  to  last 
their  engagement  was  an  affair  of  the  heart — a  case  of 
"  love  at  first  sight "  —  that  the  attachment  was  mutual, 
and  that  it  only  grows  with  the  lapse  of  time.  But  I 
had  neither  part  nor  lot  in  instigating  or  in  occasioning 
the  marriage.  And  as  I  am  anxious  to  be  put  right 
before  the  public,  and  so  to  correct  whatever  of  false 
impression  may  have  gained  ground,  I  have  procured 
the  consent  of  all  the  parties  to  a  sketch  of  the  wooing, 
winning  and  nuptials.  Of  course  I  should  not  lay  these 
details  before  the  public,  except  with  the  sanction  of 
those  most  interested.  In  this  they  consent  to  pay  the 


586  ME.   AND  MRS.   GENERAL  TOM  THUMB. 

penalty  of  distinction.  And  if  the  wooings  of  kings 
and  queens  must  be  told,  why  not  the  courtship  and 
marriage  of  General  and  Mrs.  Tom  Thumb  ?  The  story 
is  an  interesting  one,  and  shall  be  told  alike  to  exonerate 
me  from  the  suspicion  named,  and  to  amwoe  those  —  and 
they  count  by  scores  of  thousands  —  who  are  interested 
in  the  welfare  of  the  distinguished  couple. 

In  the  autumn  of  1862,  when  Lavinia  Warren  was 
on  exhibition  at  the  Museum,  Tom  Thumb  had  no  busi 
ness  engagement  with  me  ;  in  fact,  he  was  not  on  exhibi 
tion  at  the  time  at  all ;  he  was  taking  a  "  vacation  "  at 
his  house  in  Bridgeport.  Whenever  he  came  to  New 
York  he  naturally  called  upon  me,  his  old  friend,  at  the 
Museum.  He  happened  to  be  in  the  city  at  the  time 
referred  to,  and  one  day  he  called,  quite  unexpectedly 
to  me,  while  Lavinia  was  holding  one  of  her  levees. 
Here  he  now  saw  her  for  the  first  time,  and  very  natur 
ally  made  her  acquaintance.  He  had  a  short  interview 
with  her,  after  which  he  came  directly  to  my  private 
office  and  desired  to  see  me  alone.  Of  course  I  com 
plied  with  his  request,  hut  without  the  remotest  suspi 
cion  as  to  his  object.  I  closed  the  door,  and  the  General 
took  a  seat.  His  first  question  let  in  the  light.  He 
inquired  about  the  family  of  Lavinia  Warren.  I  gave 
him  the  facts,  which  I  clearly  perceived  gave  him  satis 
faction  of  a  peculiar  sort.  lie  then  said,  with  great 
frankness,  and  with  no  less  earnestness : 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  that  is  the  most  charming  little  lady 
I  ever  saw,  and  I  believe  she  was  created  on  purpose  to 
be  my  wife  !  Now,"  he  continued,  u  you  have  always 
been  a  friend  of  mine,  and  I  want  you  to  say  a  good 
word  for  me  to  her.  I  have  got  plenty  of  money,  and  I 
want  to  marry  and  settle  down  in  life,  and  I  really  feel 
as  if  I  must  marry  that  young  lady." 


ME.  AND  MRS.   GENERAL  TOM  THUMB.  587 

The  little  General  was  highly  excited,  and  his  general 
manner  betrayed  the  usual  anxiety,  which,  I  doubt  not, 
most  of  my  readers  will  understand  without  a  descrip 
tion.  I  could  not  repress  a  smile,  nor  forget  my  joke  ; 
and  I  said  : 
*  "  Lavinia  is  engaged  already." 

"  To  whom  —  Commodore  Nutt  I "  asked  Tom  Thumb, 
with  much  earnestness,  and  some  exhibition  of  the 
"  green-eyed  monster." 

"No,  General,  to  me,"  I  replied. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  the  General,  laughing,  "  you  can 
exhibit  her  for  a  while,  and  then  give  up  the  engage 
ment  ;  but  I  do  hope,  you  will  favor  my  suit  with 
her." 

I  told  the  General  that  this  was  too  sudden  an  affair ; 
that  he  must  take  time  to  think  of  it ;  but  he  insisted 
that  years  of  thought  would  make  no  difference,  for  his 
mind  was  fully  made  up. 

"  Well,  General,"  I  replied,  "  I  will  not  oppose  you 
in  your  suit,  but  you  must  do  your  own  courting.  I  tell 
you.,  however,  the  Commodore  will  be  jealous  of  you, 
and  more  than  that,  Miss  Warren  is  nobody's  fool,  and 
you  will  have  to  proceed  very  cautiously  if  you  can  suc 
ceed  in  winning  her  affections." 

The  General  thanked  me,  and  promised  to  be  very 
discreet.  A  change  now  came  suddenly  over  him  in 
several  particulars.  He  had  been  (much  to  his  credit) 
very  fond  of  his  country  home  in  Bridgeport,  where  he 
spent  his  intervals  of  rest  with  his  horses,  and  especially 
with  his  yacht,  for  his  fondness  for  the  water  was  his 
great  passion.  But  now  he  was  constantly  having  occa 
sion  to  visit  the  city,  and  horses  and  yachts  were 
strangely  neglected.  He  had  a  married  sister  in  New 


588  ME.  AND  ME3.   GENERAL  TOM  THUMB. 

York,  and  his  visits  to  her  multiplied,  for,  of  course,  he 
came  to  New  York  "  to  see  his  sister !  "  His  mother, 
who  resided  in  Bridgeport,  remarked  that  Charles  had 
never  before  shown  so  much  brotherly  affection,  nor  so 
much  fondness  for  city  life. 

His  visits  to  the  Museum  were  very  frequent,  and  it 
was  noticeable  that  new  relations  were  being  established 
between  him  and  Commodore  Nutt.  The  Commodore 
was  not  exactly  jealous,  yet  he  strutted  around  like  a 
bantam  rooster  whenever  the  General  approached  Lavi- 
nia.  One  day  he  and  the  General  got  into  a  friendly 
scuffle  in  the  dressing-room,  and  the  Commodore  threw 
the  General  upon  his  back  in  "  double  quick "  time. 
The  Commodore  is  lithe,  wiry,  and  quick  in  his  move 
ments,  but  the  General  is  naturally  slow,  and  although 
he  was  considerably  heavier  than  the  Commodore,  he 
soon  found  that  he  could  not  stand  before  him  in  a  per 
sonal  encounter.  Moreover,  the  Commodore  is  natur 
ally  quick-tempered,  and  when  excited,  he  brags  about 
his  knowledge  of  "  the  manly  art  of  self-defence,"  and 
sometimes  talks  about  pistols  and  bowie  knives,  etc. 
Tom  Thumb,  on  the  contrary,  is  by  natural  disposition 
decidedly  a  man  of  peace  ;  hence,  in  this,  agreeing  with 
Falstaif  as  to  what  constituted  the  "  better  part  of  valor," 
he  was  strongly  inclined  to  keep  his  distance,  if  the 
little  Commodore  showed  any  belligerent  symptoms. 
>  In  the  course  of  several  weeks  the  General  found 
numerous  opportunities  to  talk  with  Lavinia,  while 
the  Commodore  was  performing  on  the  stage,  or  was 
otherwise  engaged  ;  and,  to  a  watchful  discerner,  it  was 
evident  he  was  making  encouraging  progress  in  the 
affair  of  the  heart.  He  also  managed  to  meet  Lavinia 
on  Sunday  afternoons  and  evenings,  without  the  knowl- 


MR.   AND  MKS.   GENEEAL  TOM  THUMB.  589 

edge  of  the  Commodore  ;  but  he  assured  me  he  had  not 
yet  dared  to  suggest  matrimony. 

He  finally  returned  to  Bridgeport,  and  privately 
begged  that  on  the  following  Saturday  I  would  take 
Lavinia  up  to  my  house,  and  also  invite  him. 

His  immediate  object  in  this  was,  that  his  mother 
might  get  acquainted  with  Lavinia,  for  he  feared  oppo 
sition  from  that  source  whenever  the  idea  of  his  mar 
riage  should  be  suggested.  I  could  do  no  less  than 
accede  to  his  proposal,  and  on  the  following  Friday,  while 
Lavinia  and  the  Commodore  were  sitting  in  the  green 
room,  I  said  : 

"  Lavinia,  you  may  go  up  to  Bridgeport  with  me 
to-morrow  morning,  and  remain  until  Monday." 

"  Thank  you,"  she  replied ;  "  it  will  be  quite  a  relief 
to  get  into  the  country  for  a  couple  of  days." 

The  Commodore  immediately  pricked  up  his  ears,  and 
said: 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  I  should  like  to  go  to  Bridgeport 
to-morrow." 

"What  for?"  I  asked. 

"  I  want  to  see  my  little  ponies  ;  I  have  not  seen  them 
for  several  months,"  he  replied. 

I  whispered  in  his  ear,  "  you  little  rogue,  that  is  the 
pony  you  want  to  see,"  pointing  to  Lavinia. 

He  insisted  I  was  mistaken.  When  I  remarked  that 
lie  could  not  well  be  spared  from  the  Museum,  he  said : 

"  Oh  !  I  can  perform  at  half  past  seven  o'clock,  and 
then  jump  on  to  the  eight  o'clock  evening  train,  and 
go  up  by  m^elf,  reaching  Bridgeport  before  eleven, 
and  return  early  Monday  morning." 

I  feared  there  would  be  a  clashing  of  interests 
between  the  rival  pigmies ;  but  wishing  to  please  him, 


590  MR.   AND.  MRS.    GENERAL  TOM  THUMB. 

I  consented  to  his  request,  especially  as  Lavinia  also 
favored  it.  I  wished  I  could  then  fathom  that  little 
woman's  heart,  and  see  whether  she  (who  must  have 
discovered  the  secret  of  the  General's  frequent  visits 
to  the  Museum)  desired  the  Commodore's  visit  in  order 
to  stir  up  the  General's  ardor,  or  whether,  as  seemed 
to  me  the  more  likely ,  she  was  seeking  in  this  way  to 
prevent  a  denouement  which  she  was  net  inclined  to 
favor.  Certain  it  is,  that  though  I  was  the  General's 
confidant,  and  knew  all  his  desires  upon  the  subject, 
no  person  had  discovered  the  slightest  evidence  that 
Lavinia  Warren  had  ever  entertained  the  remotest  sus 
picion  of  his  thoughts  regarding  marriage.  If  she  had 
made  the  discovery,  as  I  assume,  she  kept  the  secret 
well.  In  fact,  I  assured  Tom  Thumb  that  every  indica 
tion,  so  far  as  any  of  us  could  observe,  was  to  the  eifect 
that  his  suit  would  be  rejected.  The  little  General 
was  fidgety,  but  determined ;  hence  he  was  anxious  to 
have  Lavinia  meet  his  mother,  and  also  see  his  posses 
sions  in  Bridgeport,  for  he  owned  considerable  land  and 
numerous  houses  there. 

The  General  met  us  at  the  depot  in  Bridgeport,  on 
Saturday  morning,  and  drove  us  to  my  house  in  his 
own  carriage  —  his  coachman  being  tidily  dressed,  with 
a  broad  velvet  ribbon  and  silver  buckle  placed  upon  his 
hat  expressly  for  the  occasion.  Lavinia  was  duly 
informed  that  this  was  the  General's  "turn  out";  and 
after  resting  half  an  hour  at  Lindencroft,  he  took  her 
out  to  ride.  He  stopped  a  few  moments  at  his  mother's 
house,  where  she  saw  the  apartments  wh^h  his  father 
had  built  expressly  for  him,  and  filled  with  the  most 
gorgeous  furniture — all  corresponding  to  his  own 
diminutive  size.  Then  he  took  her  to  East  Bridgeport, 


MR.  AND  MRS.  GENERAL  TOM  THUMB.       591 

and  undoubtedly  took  occasion  to  point  out  in  great 
detail  all  of  the  houses  which  he  owned,  for  he  de 
pended  much  upon  having  his  wealth  make  some  im 
pression  upon  her.  They  returned,  and  the  General 
stayed  to  lunch.  I  asked  Lavinia  how  she  liked  her 
ride  ;  she  replied  : 

"  It  was  very  pleasant,  but,"  she  added,  "  it  seems  as 
if  you  and  Tom  Thumb  owned  about  all  of  Bridgeport ! " 

The  General  took  his  leave  and  returned  at  five 
o'clock  to  dinner,  with  his  mother.  Mrs.  Stratton 
remained  until  seven  o'clock.  She  expressed  herself 
charmed  with  Lavinia  Warren ;  but  not  a  suspicion 
passed  her  mind  that  little  Charlie  was  endeavoring  to 
give  her  this  accomplished  young  lady  as  a  daughter-in- 
law.  The  General  had  privately  asked  me  to  invite 
him  to  stay  over  night,  for,  said  he, •"  If  I  get  a  chance, 
I  intend  to  '  pop  the  question '  before  the  Commodoro 
arrives."  So  I  told  his  mother  I  thought  the  General 
had  better  stop  with  us  over  night,  as  the  Commodore 
would  be  up  in  the  late  train,  adding  that  it  would  be 
more  pleasant  for  the  little  folks  to  be  together.  She 
assented,  and  the  General  was  happy. 

After  tea  Lavinia  and  the  General  sat  down  to  play 
backgammon.  As  nine  o'clock  approached,  I  remarked 
that  it  was  about  time  to  retire,  but  somebody  would 
have  to  sit  up  until  nearly  eleven  o'clock,  in  order  to  let 
in  the  Commodore.  The  General  replied : 

"  I  will  sit  up  with  pleasure,  if  Miss  Warren  will 
remain  also." 

Lavinia  carelessly  replied,  that  she  was   accustomed 
to  late  hours,  and  she  would  wait  and  see  the  Commo 
dore.     A  little  supper  was  placed  upon  the   table   fK 
the  Commodore,  and  the  family  retired. 
27* 


592  ME.  AND  MRS.  GENERAL  TOM  THUMB. 

Now  it  happened  that  a  couple  of  mischievous  young 
ladies  were  visiting  at  my  house,  one  of  whom  was  to 
sleep  with  Lavinia.  They  were  suspicious  that  the 
General  was  going  to  propose  to  Lavinia  that  evening, 
and,  in  a  spirit  of  ungovernable  curiosity,  they  deter 
mined,  notwithstanding  its  manifest  impropriety,  to  wit 
ness  the  operation,  if  they  could  possibly  manage  to  do 
so  on  the  sly.  Of  course  this  was  inexcusable,  the 
more  so  as  so  few  of  my  readers,  had  they  been  placed 
under  the  same  temptation,  would  have  been  guilty  of 
such  an  impropriety !  Perhaps  I  should  hesitate  to  use 
the  testimony  of  such  witnesses,  or  even  to  trust  it. 
But  a  few  weeks  after,  they  told  the  little  couple  the 
whole  story,  were  forgiven,  and  all  had  a  hearty  laugh 
over  it. 

It  so  happened  that  the  door  of  the  sitting  room,  in 
which  the  General  and  Lavinia  were  left  at  the  back 
gammon  board,  opened  into  the  hall  just  at  the  side  of 
the  stairs,  and  these  young  misses,  turning  out  the 
lights  in  the  hall,  seated  themselves  upon  the  stairs  in 
the  dark,  where  they  had  a  full  view  of  the  cosy  little 
couple,  and  were  within  easy  ear-shot  of  all  that  was 
said.  . 

The  house  was  still.  The  General  soon  acknowl 
edged  himself  vanquished  at  backgammon,  and  gave  it 
up.  After  sitting  a  few  moments,  he  evidently  thought 
it  was  best  to  put  a  clincher  on  the  financial  part  of  his 
abilities  ;  so  he  drew  from  his  pocket  a  policy  of  insu 
rance,  and  handing  it  to  Lavinia,  he  asked  her  if  she 
knew  what  it  was. 

Examining  it,  she  replied,  "It  is  an  insurance  policy. 
I  see  you  keep  your  property  insured." 

44  But  the  beauty  of  it  is,  it  is  not  my  property,"  re- 


ME.  AND  MRS.   GENERAL  TOM  THUMB.  593 

plied  the  General,  "  and  yet  I  get  the  benefit  of  the 
insurance  in  case  of  fire.  You  will  see,"  he  continued, 
unfolding  the  policy,  "  this  is  the  property  of  Mr.  Wil 
liams,  but  here,  you  will  observe,  it  reads  '  loss,  if  any, 
payable  to  Charles  S.  Stratton,  as  his  interest  may  ap 
pear.'  The  fact  is,  1  loaned  Mr.  Williams  three  thou 
sand  dollars,  took  a  mortgage  on  his  house,  and  made 
him  insure  it  for  my  benefit.  In  this  way,  you  per 
ceive,  I  get  my  interest,  and  he  has  to  pay  the  taxes." 

"  That  is  a  very  wise  way,  I  should  think,"  remarked 
Lavinia. 

"  That  is  the  way  I  do  all  my  business,"  replied  the 
General,  complacently,  as  he  returned  the  huge  insur 
ance  policy  to  his  pocket  "  You  see,"  he  continued, 
"  I  never  lend  any  of  my  money  without  taking  bond 
and  mortgage  security  9  then  I  have  no  trouble  with 
taxes  ;  my  principal  is  secure,  and  I  receive  my  interest 
regularly." 

The  explanation  seemed  satisfactory  to  Lavinia,  and 
the  General's  courage  began  to  rise.  Drawing  his  chair 
a  little  nearer  to  hers,  he  said : 

"  So  you  are  going  to  Europe,  soon! " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Lavinia,  "  Mr.  Barnum  intends  to  take 
me  over  in  a  couple  of  months." 

"  You  will  find  it  very  pleasant,"  remarked  the  Gen 
eral  ;  "  I  have  been  there  twice,  in  fact  I  have  spent  six 
years  abroad,  and  I  like  the  old  countries  very  much." 

"  I  hope  I  shall  like  the  trip,  and  I  expect  I  shall," 
responded  Lavinia  ;  "  for  Mr.  Barnum  says  I  shall  visit 
all  the  principal  cities,  and  he  has  no  doubt  I  will  be 
invited  to  appear  before  the  Queen  of  England,  the  Em 
peror  and  Empress  of  France,  the  King  of  Prussia,  the 
Emperor  of  Austria,  and  at  the  courts  of  any  other 


594  ME.  AND  MRS.   GENERAL  TOM  THUMB. 

countries  which  we  may  visit.     Oh  !  I  shall  like  that,  it 
will  be  so  new  to  me." 

"  Yes,  it  will  be  very  interesting  indeed.  I  have 
visited  most  of  the  crowned  heads,"  remarked  the  Gen 
eral,  with  an  evident  feeling  of  self-congratulation.  "  But 
are  you  not  afraid  you  will  be  lonesome  in  a  strange 
country?"  asked  the  General. 

"  No,  I  think  there  is  no  danger  of  that,  for  friends 
will  accompany  me,"  was  the  reply. 

t;I  wish  I  was  going  over,  for  I  know  all  about  the 
different  countries,  and  could  explain  them  all  to  you," 
remarked  Tom  Thumb. 

"  That  would  be  very  nice,"  said  Lavinia. 

"  Do  you  think  so  ]  "  said  the  General,  moving  his 
chair  still  closer  to  Lavinia's. 

"  Of  course,"  replied  Lavinia,  coolly,  "  for  I,  being  a 
stranger  to  all  the  habits  and  customs  of  the  people,  as 
well  as  to  the  country,  it  would  be  pleasant  to  have 
some  person  along  who  could  answer  all  my  foolish 
questions." 

"I  should  like  it  first  rate,  if  Mr.  Barnum  would  en 
gage  me,"  said  the  General. 

"  I  thought  you  remarked  the  other  day  that  you  had 
money  enough,  and  was  tired  of  travelling,"  said  La 
vinia,  with  a  slightly  mischievous  look  from  one  corner 
of  her  eye. 

"  That  depends  upon  my  company  while  travelling," 
replied  the  General. 

"  You  might  not  find  my  company  very  agreeable." 

"  I  would  be  glad  to  risk  it." 

"  Well,  perhaps  Mr.  Barnum  would  engage  you,  if 
you  asked  him,"  said  Lavinia. 

"  Would  you  really  like  to  have  me  go  1 "  asked  the 


MR.  AND  MES.  GENERAL  TOM  THUMB.        595 

General,  quietly  insinuating  his  arm  around  her  waist, 
but  hardly  close  enough  to  touch  her. 

"  Of  course  I  would,"  was  the  reply. 

The  little  General's  arm  clasped  the  waist  closer  as 
he  turned  his  face  nearer  to  hers,  and  said  : 

"  Do  n't  you  think  it  would  be  pleasanter  if  we  went 
as  man  and  wife  ]  " 

The  little  fairy  quickly  disengaged  his  arm,  and 
remarked  that  the  General  was  a  funny  fellow  to  joke 
in  that  way.  *»*;:,] 

"  I  am  not  joking  at  all,"  said  the  General,  earnestly, 
"  it  is  quite  too  serious  a  matter  for  that." 

44 1  wonder  why  the  Commodore  don't  come  ? "  said 
Lavinia. 

"  I  hope  you  are  not  anxious  for  his  arrival,  for  I  am 
sure  I  am  not,"  responded  the  General,  "  and  what  is 
more,  I  do  hope  you  will  say  4  yes,'  before  he  comes  at 
all ! " 

44  Really,  Mr.  Stratton,"  said  Lavinia,  with  dignity, 
44  if  you  are  in  earnest  in  your  strange  proposal,  I  must 
say  I  am  surprised." 

44 Well,  I  hope  you  are  not  offended"  replied  the 
General,  44  for  I  was  never  more  in  earnest  in  my  life, 
and  I  hope  you  will  consent.  The  first  moment  I  saw 
you  I  felt  that  you  were  created  to  be  my  wife." 

"  But  this  is  so  sudden." 

44  Not  so  very  sudden ;  it  is  several  months  since  we 
first  met,  and  you  know  all  about  me,  and  my  family, 
and  I  hope  you  find  nothing  to  object  to  in  me." 

44  Not  at  all ;  on  the  contrary,  I  have  found  you  very 
agreeable,  in  fact  I  like  you  very  much  as  a  friend,  but 
T  have  not  thought  of  marrying,  and  — " 

"  And  what]  my  dear,"  said  the  General,  giving  her 


596  MR.  AND  MRS.   GENERAL  TOM  THUMB. 

a  kiss.  "  Now,  I  beg  of  you,  don't  have  any  '•  huts'  01 
'  ands '  about  it.  You  say  you  like  me  as  a  friend, 
why  will  you  not  like  me  as  a  husband]  You  ought 
to  get  married ;  I  love  you  dearly,  and  I  want  you 
for  a  wife.  Now,  deary,  the  Commodore  will  be 
here  in  a  few  minutes,  I  may  not  have  a  chance 
to  see  you  again  alone ;  do  say  that  we  will  bo 
married,  and  I  will  get  Mr.  Barnum  to  give  up  your 
engagement." 

Lavinia  hesitated,  and  finally  said  : 

"  I  think  I  love  you  well  enough  to  consent,  but  I 
have  always  said  I  would  never  marry  without  my 
mother's  consent." 

"  Oh  !  Ill  ask  your  mother.  May  I  ask  your  mother  I 
Come,  say  yes  to  that,  and  I  will  go  and  see  her  next 
week.  May  I  do  that,  pet  I " 

Then  there  was  a  sound  of  something  very  much  like 
the  popping  of  several  corks  from  as  many  beer  bottles. 
The  young  eaves-droppers  had  no  doubt  as  to  the  char 
acter  of  these  reports,  nor  did  they  doubt  that  they 
sealed  the  betrothal,  for  immediately  after  they  heard 
Lavinia  say : 

"  Yes,  Charles,  you  may  ask  my  mother."  Another 
volley  of  reports  followed,  and  then  Lavinia  said, 
"Now,  Charles,  don't  whisper  this  to  a  living  soul ;  let 
us  keep  our  own  secrets  for  the  present." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  General,  fc'  I  will  say  nothing ; 
but  next  Tuesday  I  shall  start  to  see  your  mother." 

"  Perhaps  you  may  find  it  difficult  to  obtain  her  con 
sent,"  said  Lavinia. 

At  that  moment  a  carriage  drove  up  to  the  door,  and 
immediately  the  bell  was  rung,  and  the  little  Commo 
dore  entered. 


ME.  AND  MES.   GENEEAL  TOM  THUMB.  597 

"  You  here,  General?"  said  the  Commodore,  as  he 
espied  his  rival. 

"  Yes,"  saidLavinia,  "  Mr.  Barnum  asked  him  to  stay, 
and  we  were  waiting  for  you ;  come,  warm  yourself." 

"  I  am  not  cold,"  said  the  Commodore  ;  "  where  is  Mr. 
Barnum?" 

"  He  has  gone  to  bed,"  remarked  the  General,  "  but  a 
nice  supper  has  been  prepared  for  you." 

"  I  am  not  hungry,  I  thank  you ;  I  am  going  to  bed. 
Which  room  does  Mr.  Barnum  sleep  in? "  said  the  little 
bantam,  in  a  petulant  tone  of  voice. 

His  question  was  answered ;  the  young  eaves-drop 
pers  scampered  to  their  sleeping  apartments,  and  the 
Commodore  soon  came  to  my  room,  where  he  found  me 
indulging  in  the  foolish  habit  of  reading  in  bed. 

"Mr.  Barnum,  does  Tom  Thumb  board  here?"  asked 
the  Commodore,  sarcastically. 

"  No,"  said  I,  "  Tom  Thumb  does  not  board  here.  I 
invited  him  to  stop  over  night,  so  don't  be  foolish,  but 
go  to  bed." 

"  Oh,  it's  no  affair  of  mine.  I  don't  care  anything 
about  it ;  but  I  thought  he  had  taken  up  his  board 
here,"  replied  the  Commodore,  and  off  he  went  to  bed, 
evidently  in  a  bad  humor. 

Ten  minutes  afterwards  Tom  Thumb  came  rushing 
into  my  room,  and  closing  the  door,  he  caught  hold  of 
my  hand  in  a  high  state  of  excitement  and  whispered : 

"  We  are  engaged,  Mr.  Barnum !  we  are  engaged ! 
we  are  engaged  !  "  and  he  jumped  up  and  down  in  the 
greatest  glee. 

"  Is  that  possible  1  "  I  asked. 

"  Yes,  sir,  indeed  it  is ;  but  you  must  not  mention  it," 
he  responded ;  "we  agreed  to  tell  nobody,  so  please 


598  MR  AND  MRS.   GENERAL  TOM  THUMB. 

don't  say  a  word.  I  must  tell  you,  of  course,  but  6  mv*n 
is  the  word/  I  am  going,  Tuesday,  to  get  her  mother's 
consent." 

I  promised  secrecy,  and  the  General  retired  in  as 
happy  a  mood  as  I  ever  saw  him.  Lavinia  also  retired, 
but  not  a  hint  did  she  give  to  the  young  lady  with  whom 
she  slept  regarding  the  engagement.  Indeed,  our  family 
plied  her  upon  the  subject  the  next  day,  but  not  a  breath 
passed  her  lips  that  would  give  the  slightest  indication 
of  what  had  transpired.  She  was  quite  sociable  with 
the  Commodore,  and  as  the  General  concluded  to  go 
home  the  next  morning,  the  Commodore's  equanimity 
and  good  feelings  were  fully  restored.  The  General 
made  a  call  of  half  an  hour  Sunday  evening,  and  man 
aged  to  have  an  interview  with  Lavinia.  The  next 
morning  she  and  the  Commodore  returned  to  New  York 
in  good  spirits,  1  remaining  in  Bridgeport. 

The  General  called  on  me  Monday,  however,  bring 
ing  a  very  nice  letter  which  he  had  written  to  Lavinia's 
mother.  He  had  concluded  to  send  this  letter  by  his 
trusty  friend,  Mr.  George  A.  "Wells,  instead  of  going 
himself,  and  he  had  just  seen  Mr.  Wells,  who  had  con 
sented  to  go  to  Middleborough  with  the  letter  the  fol 
lowing  day,  and  to  urge  the  General's  suit,  if  it  should 
be  necessary. 

The  General  went  to  New  York  on  Wednesday,  and 
was  there  to  await  Mr.  Wells'  arrival.  On  Wednesday 
morning  the  General  and  Lavinia  walked  into  my  office, 
and  after  closing  the  door,  the  little  General  said  : 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  I  want  somebody  to  tell  the  Commo 
dore 'that  Lavinia  and  I  are  engaged,  for  I  am  afraid 
there  will  be  a  '  row '  when  he  hears  of  it." 

"  Do  it  yourself,  General,"  I  replied. 


MB.  AND   MRS.  GENERAL  TOM  THUMB.  599 

44  Oh,"  said  the  General,  almost  shuddering,  "  I  would 
not  dare  to  do  it,  he  might  knock  me  down." 

"  I  will  do  it,"  said  Lavinia ;  and  it  was  at  once 
arranged  that  I  should  call  the  Commodore  and  Lavinia 
into  my  office,  and  either  she  or  myself  would  tell  him. 
The  General,  of  course,  "  vamosed." 

When  the  Commodore  joined  us  and  the  door  was 
closed,  I  said : 

"  Commodore,  do  you  know  what  this  little  witch  has 
been  doing  1 " 

"  No,  I  do  n't,"  he  answered. 

"  Well,  she  has  been  cutting  up  one  of  the  greatest 
pranks  you  ever  heard  of,"  I  replied.  "  She  almost 
deserves  to  be  shut  up,  for  daring  to  do  it.  Can't  you 
guess  what  she  has  done  1 " 

He  mused  a  moment,  and  then  looking  at  me,  said  in 
a  low  voice,  and  with  a  serious  looking  face,  "  En 
gaged  1" 

"  Yes,"  said  I,  "  absolutely  engaged  to  be  married  to 
General  Tom  Thumb.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  such  a 
thing!" 

"  Is  that  so,  Lavinia  ? "  asked  the  Commodore,  look 
ing  her  earnestly  in  the  face. 

"That  is  so,"  said  Lavinia;  "  and  Mr.  Wells  has 
gone  to  obtain  my  mother's  consent." 

The  Commodore  turned  pale,  and  choked  a  little, 
as  if  he  was  trying  to  swallow  something.  Then,  turn 
ing  on  his  heel,  he  said,  in  a  broken  voice : 

"  I  hope  you  may  be  happy." 

As  he  passed  out  of  the  door,  a  tear  rolled  down  his 
cheek. 

"  That  is  pretty  hard,"  I  said  to  Lavinia, 

"  I  am  very  sorry,"  she  replied,  "but  I  could  not  help 


600  ME.   AND  MRS.   GENERAL  TOM  THUMB. 

it.     That  diamond  and  emerald  ring  which  you  bade  me 
present  in  my  name,  has  caused  all  this  trouble." 

Half  an  hour  after  this  incident,  the  Commodore  came 
to  my  office,  and  said: 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  do  you  think  it  would  be  right  for 
Miss  Warren  to  marry  Charley  Stratton  if  her  mother 
should  object ?" 

I  saw  that  the  little  fellow  had  still  a  slight  hope  to 
hang  on,  and  I  said  : 

"  No,  indeed,  it  would  not  be  right." 

"  Well,  she  says  she  shall  marry  him  any  way  ;  that 
she  gives  her  mother  the  chance  to  consent,  but  if  she 
objects,  she  will  have  her  own  way  and  marry  him,"  said 
the  Commodore. 

"  On  the  contrary,"  I  replied,  "  I  will  not  permit  it. 
She  is  engaged  to  go  to  Europe  for  me,  and  I  will  not 
release  her,  if  her  mother  does  not  fully  consent  to  her 
marrying  Tom  Thumb." 

The  Commodore's  eyes  glistened  with  pleasure,  as  he 
replied : 

"  Between  you  and  me,  Mr.  Barnum,  I  don't  believe 
she  will  give  her  consent." 

But  the  next  day  dissipated  his  hopes.  Mr.  Wells 
returned,  saying  that  Lavinia's  mother  at  first  objected, 
for  she  feared  it  was  a  contrivance  to  get  them  married 
for  the  promotion  of  some  pecuniary  advantage ;  but, 
upon  reading  the  letter  from  the  General,  and  one  still 
more  urgent  from  Lavinia,  and  also  upon  hearing  from 
Mr.  Wells  that,  in  case  of  their  marriage,  I  should  can 
cel  all  claims  I  had  upon  Lavinia's  services,  she  con 
sented. 

After  the  Commodore  had  heard  the  news,  I  said  tt» 
him: 


ME.  AND  MftS.   GENERAL  TOM  THUMB.  601 

"  Never  mind,  Commodore,  Minnie  Warren  is  a  bet 
ter  match  for  you ;  she  is  a  charming  little  creature,  and 
two  years  younger  than  you,  while  Lavinia  is  several 
years  your  senior." 

"  I  thank  you,  sir,"  replied  the  Commodore,  pom 
pously,  "  I  would  not  marry  the  best  woman  living ;  I 
don't  believe  in  women,  any  way." 

I  then  suggested  that  he  should  stand  with  little  Min 
nie,  as  groom  and  bridesmaid,  at  the  approaching  wred- 
ding. 

"  No,  sir  !  "  replied  the  Commodore,  emphatically  ; 
"  I  won't  do  it !  " 

That  idea  was  therefore  abandoned.  A  few  weeks 
subsequently,  when  time  had  reconciled  the  Commodore, 
he  told  me  that  Tom  Thumb  had  asked  him  to  stand  as 
groom  with  Minnie,  at  the  wedding,  and  he  was  going 
to  do  so. 

"  When  I  asked  you,  a  few  weeks  ago,  you  refused," 
I  said. 

"  It  was  not  your  business  to  ask  me,"  replied  the 
Commodore,  pompously.  "  When  the  proper  person 
invited  me  I  accepted." 

Of  course  the  approaching  wedding  was  announced. 
It  created  an  immense  excitement.  Lavinia's  levees  at 
the  Museum  were  crowded  to  suffocation,  and  her 
photographic  pictures  were  in  great  demand.  For 
several  weeks  she  sold  more  than  three  hundred  dollars' 
worth  of  her  cartes  de  visite  each  day.  And  the  daily 
receipts  at  the  Museum  wrere  frequently  over  three 
thousand  dollars.  I  engaged  the  General  to  exhibit, 
and  to  assist  her  in  the  sale  of  pictures,  to  which  his 
own  photograph,  of  course,  was  added.  I  could  afford 
to  give  them  a  fine  wedding,  and  I  did  so. 


602  MR   AND  MRS.   GENERAL  TOM  THUMB. 

The  little  couple  made  a  personal  application  to 
Bishop  Potter  to  perform  the  nuptial  ceremony,  and 
obtained  his  consent ;  but  the  matter  became  public, 
and  outside  pressure  from  some  of  the  most  squeamish 
of  his  clergy  was  brought  to  bear  upon  the  bishop, 
and  he  rescinded  his  engagement. 

This  fact  of  itself,  as  well  as  the  opposition  that 
caused  it,  only  added  to  the  notoriety  of  the  approach 
ing  wedding,  and  increased  the  crowds  at  the  Museum. 
The  financial  result  to  me  was  a  piece  of  good  fortune, 
which  I  was,  of  course,  quite  willing  to  accept,  though 
in  this  instance  the  "  advertisement,"  so  far  as  the  fact 
of  the  betrothal  of  the  parties  with  its  preliminaries 
were  concerned,  was  not  of  my  seeking,  as  the  recital 
no\y  given  shows.  But  seeing  the  turn  it  was  taking 
in  crowding  the  Museum,  and  pouring  money  into  the 
treasury,  I  did  not  hesitate  to  seek  continued  advantage 
from  the  notoriety  of  the  prospective  marriage.  Accord 
ingly,  I  offered  the  General  and  Lavinia  fifteen  thousand 
dollars  if  they  would  postpone  the  wedding  for  a  month, 
and  continue  their  exhibitions  at  the  Museum. 

"  Not  for  fifty  thousand  dollars,"  said  the  General, 
excitedly. 

"  Good  for  you,  Charley,"  said  Lavinia,  "  only  you 
ought  to  have  said  not  for  a  hundred  thousand,  for  I 
would  not ! " 

They  both  laughed  heartily  at  what  they  considered 
my  discomfiture,  and  such,  looked  at  from  a  business 
point  of  view,  it  certainly  was.  The  wedding  -day 
approached  and  the  public  excitement  grew.  For 
several  days,  I  might  say  weeks,  the  approaching  mar 
riage  of  Tom  Thumb  was  the  New  York  "  sensation." 
For  proof  of  this  I  did  not  need  what,  however,  was 


MR.    AND  MRS.    GENERAL  TOM  THUMB.  603 

ample,  the  newspaper  paragraphs.  A  surer  index  was 
in  the  crowds  that  passed  into  the  Museum,  and  the 
dollars  that  found  their  way  into  the  ticket  office. 

It  was  suggested  to  me  that  a  small  fortune  in  itself 
could  be  easily  made  out  of  the  excitement.  "  Let  the 
ceremony  take  place  in  the  Academy  of  Music,  chargo 
a  big  price  for  admission,  and  the  citizens  will  come 
in  crowds."  I  have  no  manner  of  doubt  that  in  this 
way  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  could  easily  have  been 
obtained.  But  I  had  no  such  thought.  I  had  promised 
to  give  the  couple  a  genteel  and  graceful  wedding,  and 
I  kept  my  word. 

The  day  arrived,  Tuesday,  February  10,  1863.  The 
ceremony  was  to  take  place  in  Grace  Church,  New 
York.  The  Rev.  Junius  Willey,  Rector  of  St.  John's 
Church  in  Bridgeport,  assisted  by  the  late  Rev.  Dr. 
Taylor,  of  Grace  Church,  was  to  officiate.  The  organ 
was  played  by  Morgan.  I  know  not  what  better  I 
could  have  done,  had  the  wedding  of  a  prince  been  in 
contemplation.  The  church  was  comfortably  filled  by 
a  highly  select  audience  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  none 
being  admitted  except  those  having  cards  of  invitation. 
Among  them  were  governors  of  several  of  the  States, 
to  whom  I  had  sent  cards,  and  such  of  those  as  could 
not  be  present  in  person  were  represented  by  friends,  to 
whom  they  had  given  their  cards.  Members  of  Con 
gress  were  present,  also  generals  of  the  army,  and  many 
other  prominent  public  men.  Numerous  applications 
were  made  from  wealthy  and  distinguished  persons  for 
tickets  to  witness  the  ceremony,  and  as  high  as  sixty 
dollars  was  offered  for  a  singe  admission.  But  not  a 

o 

ticket  was  sold  ;  and  Tom  Thumb  and  Lavinia  Warren 
were  pronounced  "  man  and  wife  "  before  witnesses. 


604  MR.   AND  MRS.   GENERAL  TOM  THUMB. 

The  following  entirely  authentic  correspondence,  the 
only  suppression  being  the  name  of  the  person  who 
wrote  to  Dr.  Taylor  and  to  whom  Dr.  Taylor's  reply  is 
addressed,  shows  how  a  certain  would-be  "  witness  "  was 
not  a  witness  of  the  famous  wedding.  In  other 
particulars,  the  correspondence  speaks  for  itself. 

To  THE  REV.  DR.  TAYLOR. — Sir:  The  object  of  my  unwillingly  addressing 
you  this  note  is  to  inquire  what  right  you  had  to  exclude  myself  aiid  other  owners 
of  pews  in  Grace  Church  from  entering  it  yesterday,  enforced,  too,  by  a  cordon 
of  police  for  that  purpose.  If  my  pew  is  not  my  property,  I  wish  to  know  it;  and 
if  it  is,  I  deny  your  right  to  prevent  me  from  occupying  it  whenever  the  church  is 
open,  even  at  a  marriage  of  mountebanks,  which  I  would  not  take  the  trouble  to 
cross  the  street  to  witness. 

Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 


804  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK,  Feb.  16,  1863. 

MR.  W  *  *  *  S  *  *  * — Dear  Sir :  I  am  sorry,  my  valued  friend,  that  you  should 
have  written  me  the  peppery  letter  that  is  now  before  me.  If  the  matter  or 
which  you  complain  be  so  utterly  insignificant  and  contemptible  as  "a  marriage 
of  mountebanks,  which  you  would  not  take  the  trouble  to  cross  the  street  to 
witness,"  it  surprises  me  that  you  should  have  made  such  strenuous,  but  ill- 
directed  efforts  to  secure  a  ticket  of  admission.  And  why  —  permit  me  to  ask  in 
the  name  of  reason  and  philosophy  —  do  you  still  suffer  it  to  disturb  you  so  sadly? 
It  would  perhaps  be  a  sufficient  answer  to  your  letter,  to  say  that  your  cause  oi 
complaint  exists  only  in  your  imagination.  You  have  never  been  excluded  from 
your  pew.  As  rector,  I  am  the  only  custodian  of  the  church,  and  you  will  hardly 
venture  to  say  that  you  have  ever  applied  to  me  for  permission  to  enter,  and  been 
refused. 

Here  I  might  safely  rest,  and  leave  you  to  the  comfort  of  your  own  reflec 
tions  in  the  case.  But  as  you,  in  common  with  many  other  worthy  persons, 
would  seem  to  have  very  crude  notions  as  to  your  rights  of  "  property"  in  pews, 
you  will  pardon  me  for  saying  that  a  pew  in  a  church  is  property  only  in  a  pecu 
liar  and  restricted  sense.  It  is  not  property,  as  your  house  or  your  horse  is 
property.  It  vests  you  with  no  fee  in  the  soil ;  you  cannot  use  it  in  any  way, 
and  in  every  way,  and  at  all  times,  as  your  pleasure  or  caprice  may  dictate  ;  you 
cannot  put  it  to  any  common  or  unhallowed  uses  ;  you  cannot  remove  it,  nor 
injure  it,  nor  destroy  it.  In  short,  yon  hold  by  purchase,  and  may  sell  the  right 
to  the  undisturbed  possession  of  that  little  space  within  the  church  edifice  which 
you  call  your  pew  during  the  hours  of  divine  service.  But  even  that  right  must 
be  exercised  decorously,  and  with  a  decent  regard  for  time  and  place,  or  else  you 
may  at  any  moment  be  iguominiously  ejected  from  it. 

I  regret  to  be  obliged  to  add.  that  by  the  law  of  custom,  you  may,  during 
those  said  hours  of  divine  service  (but  at  no  other  time)  sleep  in  your  pew  ;  you 
must,  however,  do  so  noiselessly  and  never  to  the  disturbance  of  your  sleeping 
tieighbors  ;  your  property  in  your  pew  has  this  extent  and  nothing  more.  Now, 
if  Mr.  \V***  S***  were  at  any  time  to  come  tome  and  say,  "Sir,  I  would 


MR.    AND    MRS.    GENERAL   TOM    THUMB.  005 

that  you  should  grant  me  the  use  of  Grace  Church  for  a  solemn  service  (a  marriage,  a 
baptism,  or  a  funeral,  as  the  case  may  be),  and  as  it  is  desirable  that  the  feelings  of 
the  parties  should  be  protected  as  far  as  possible  from  the  impertinent  intrusion  and 
disturbance  of  a  ci-owd  from  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city,  I  bog  that  no  one  may 
be  admitted  within  the  doors  of  the  church  during  the  very  few  moments  that  we 
expect  to  be  there,  but  our  invited  friends  only," — it  would  certainly,  in  such  a  case, 
be  my  pleasure  to  comply  with  your  request,  and  to  meet  your  wishes  in  every  par 
ticular;  and  I  think  that  even  Mr.  W  *  *  #  S  *  *  *  will  agree  that  all  this 
would  be  entirely  reasonable  and  proper.  Then,  tell  me,  how  would  such  a  case  differ 
from  the  instance  of  which  you  complain  ?  Two  young  persons,  whose  only  crimes 
would  seem  to  be  that  they  are  neither  so  big,  nor  so  stupid,  nor  so  ill-mannered,  nor 
so  inordinately  selfish  as  some  other  people,  come  to  me  and  say,  sir,  we  are  about  to 
be  married,  and  we  wish  to  throw  around  our  marriage  all  the  solemnities  of  religion. 
We  are  strangers  in  your  city,  and  as  there  is  no  clergymen  here  standing  in  a  pastoral 
relation  to  us,  we  have  ventured  to  ask  the  favor  of  the  bishop  of  New  York  to  marry 
us,  and  he  has  kindly  consented  to  do  so ;  may  we  then  venture  a  little  further,  and 
request  the  use  of  your  church  in  which  the  bishop  may  perform  the  marriage  service? 
We  assure  you,  sir,  that  we  are  no  shams,  no  cheats,  no  mountebanks ;  we  are  neither 
monsters  nor  abortions;  it  is  time  we  are  little,  but  we  are  as  God  made  us,  perfect  in 
our  littleness.  Sir,  we  are  simply  man  and  woman  of  like  passions  and  infirmities 
with  you  and  other  mortals.  The  arrangements  for  our  marriage  arc  controlled  by  no 
"  showman,"  and  we  are  sincerely  desirous  that  everything  should  be  ordered  with  a 
most  scrupulous  regard  to  decorum.  We  hope  to  invite  our  relations  and  intimate 
friends,  together  with  such  persons  as  may  in  other  years  have  extended  civilities  to 
either  of  us ;  but  we  pledge  ourselves  to  you  most  sacredly  that  no  invitation  can  be 
bought  with  money.  Permit  us  to  say  further,  that  as  we  would  most  gladly  escape 
from  the  insulting  jeers,  and  ribald  sneers  and  coarse  ridicule  of  the  unthinking  multi 
tude  without,  we  pray  you  to  allow  us,  at  our  own  proper  charges,  so  to  guard  the 
avenues  of  access  from  the  street,  as  to  prevent  all  unseemly  tumult  and  disorder. 

I  tell  you,  sir,  that  whenever,  and  from  whomsoever,  such  an  appeal  is  made  to  my 
Christian  courtesy,  although  it  should  come  from  the  very  humblest  of  the  earth,  I 
would  go  calmly  and  cheerfully  forward  to  meet  their  wishes,  although  as  many- 
W***  S*#*'s  as  would  reach  from  here  to  Kamtschatka,  clothed  in  furs 
and  frowns,  should  rise  up  to  oppose  me. 

In  conclusion,  I  will  say  that  if  the  marriage  of  Charles  S.  Stratton  and  Lavinia 
Warren  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  pageant,  then  it  was  the  most  beautiful  pageant  it  has 
ever  been  my  privilege  to  witness.  If  on  the  contrary,  it  is  rather  to  be  thought  of  as 
a  solemn  ceremony,  then  it  was  as  touchingly  solemn  as  a  wedding  can  possibly  bo 
rendered.  -  It  is  true  the  bishop  was  not  present,  but  Mr.  Stratton's  own  pastor,  tho 
Eer.  Mr.  Willey,  of  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  read  the  service  with  admirable  tasto 
and  impressiveness,  and  the  bride  was  given  away  by  her  mother's  pastor  and  her  own 
"next  friend,"  a  venerable  congregational  clergyman  from  Massachusetts.  Surely, 
there  never  was  a  gathering  of  so  many  hundreds  of  our  best  people,  when  everybody 
appeared  so  delighted  with  everything;  surely  it  is  no  light  thing  to  call  forth  so  much 
innocent  joy  in  so  few  moments  of  passing  time ;  surely  it  is  no  light  thing,  thus  to 
smooth  the  roughness  and  sweeten  the  acerbities  which  mar  our  happiness  as  we  ad 
vance  upon  the  wearing  journey  of  life.  Sir,  it  was  most  emphatically  a  high  triumph 
of  "  Christian  civilization  "I 

Respectfully  submitted,  by  your  obedient  servant, 

THOMAS  HOUSE  TAYLOR. 

28 


606  MR   AND  MRS.  GENERAL  TOM  THUMB. 

Several  thousand  persons  attended  the  reception  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tom  Thumb  the  same  day  at  the  Metro 
politan  Hotel.  After  this  they  started  on  a  wedding 
tour,  taking  Washington  in  their  way.  They  visited 
President  Lincoln  at  the  White  House.  After  a  couple 
of  weeks  they  returned,  and,  as  they  then  supposed, 
retired  to  private  life. 

Habit,  however,  is  indeed  second  nature.  The  Gen 
eral  and  his  wife  had  been  accustomed  to  excitement, 
and  after  a  few  months'  retirement  they  again  longed 
for  the  peculiar  pleasures  of  a  public  life,  and  the  pub 
lic  were  eager  to  welcome  them  once  more.  They 
resumed  their  public  career,  and  have  since  travelled 
several  years  in  Europe,  and  considerably  in  this  coun 
try,  holding  public  exhibitions  more  than  half  the  time, 
and  spending  the  residue  in  leisurely  viewing  such  cities 
and  portions  of  the  country  as  they  may  happen  to  be 
in.  Commodore  Nutt  and  Minnie  Warren,  I  should 
add,  usually  travel  with  them. 

I  met  the  little  Commodore  last  summer,  after  his 
absence  in  Europe  of  three  years,  and  said : 

"  Are  you  not  married  yet,  Commodore  I " 

"  No,  sir  ;  my  fruit  is  plucked,"  he  replied. 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  you  will  never  marry,"  I 
remarked. 

"  No,  not  exactly,"  replied  the  Commodore,  compla 
cently,  "  but  I  have  concluded  not  to  marry  until  I  am 
thirty." 

"  I  suppose  you  intend  to  marry  one  of  your  size  ] "  I 
said. 

"  I  am  not  particular  in  that  respect,"  but  seeing  my 
jocose  mood,  he  continued,  with  a  comical  leer,  "  I  think 
I  should  prefer  marrying  a  good,  green  country  girl,  to 
anybody  else." 


MR  AND  MRS.   GENERAL  TOM  THUMB.  607 

This  was  said  with  a  degree  of  nonchalance,  which 
none  can  appreciate  who  do  not  know  him. 

To  make  sure  that  a  lack  of  memory  has  not  misled 
me  as  to  any  of  the  facts  in  regard  to  the  courtship  and 
wedding  of  Tom  Thumb  and  Lavinia  Warren,  I  will 
fyere  say  that,  after  writing  out  the  story,  I  read  it  to  the 
parties  personally  interested,  and  they  give  me  leave  to 
say  that,  in  all  particulars,  it  is  a  correct  statement  ot 
the  affair,  except  that  Lavinia  remarked : 

"  Well,  Mr.  Barnum,  your  story  don't  lose  any  by  the 
telling  "  ;  and  the  Commodore  denies  the  "  rolling  tear," 
when  informed  of  the  engagement  of  the  little  pair. 

In  June  1869,  the  report  was  started,  for  the  third  or 
fourth  time,  in  the  newspapers,  that  Commodore  Nutt 
and  Miss  Minnie  Warren  were  married  —  this  time  at 
West  Haven,  in  Connecticut.  The  story  was  wholly 
untrue,  nor  do  I  think  that  such  a  wedding  is  likely  to 
take  place,  for,  on  the  principle  that  people  like  their 
opposites,  Minnie  and  the  Commodore  are  likely  to 
marry  persons  whom  they  can  literally  "  look  up  to  "  — 
that  is,  if  either  of  them  marries  at  all  it  will  be  a  tall 
partner. 

Soon  after  the  wedding  of  General  Tom  Thumb  and 
Lavinia  Warren,  a  lady  came  to  my  office  and  called 
my  attention  to  a  little  six-paged  pamphlet  which  she 
said  she  had  written,  entitled  "  Priests  and  Pigmies,"  and 
requested  me  to  read  it.  I  glanced  at  the  title,  and  at 
once  estimating  the  character  of  the  publication,  I 
promptly  declined  to  devote  any  portion  of  my  valuable 
time  to  its  perusal. 

"  But  you  had  better  look  at  it,  Mr.  Barnum  ;  it  deeply 
interests  you,  and  you  may  think  it  worth  your  while  to 
buy  it." 


608  ME.   AND  MES.   GENERAL  TOM  THUMB. 

"  Certainly,  I  will  buy  it,  if  yon  desire,"  said  I,  ten 
dering  her  a  sixpence,  which  I  supposed  to  be  the  price 
of  the  little  pamphlet. 

"  Oh !  you  quite  misunderstand  me  ;  I  mean  buy  the 
copyright  and  the  entire  edition,  with  the  view  of  sup 
pressing  the  work.  It  says  some  frightful  things,  I 
assure  you,"  urged  the  author. 

I  lay  back  in  my  chair  and  fairly  roared  at  this  exceed 
ingly  feeble  attempt  at  black-mail. 

"  But,"  persisted  the  lady,  "  suppose  it  says  that  your 
Museum  and  Grace  Church  are  all  one,  what  then  ]  " 

"  My  dear  madam,"  I  replied,  "you  may  say  what  you 
please  about  me  or  about  my  Museum ;  you  may  print  a 
hundred  thousand  copies  of  a  pamphlet  stating  that  I 
stole  the  communion  service,  after  the  wedding  from 
Grace  Church  altar,  or  anything  else  you  choose  to 
write ;  only  have  the  kindness  to  say  something  about 
me,  and  then  come  to  me  and  I  will  properly  estimate 
the  money  value  of  your  services  to  me  as  an  advertising 

agent.     Good  morning,  madam,"  —  and  she  departed. 

' 


!>HS  o 


CHAPTEE     XXXVIII.  *j 

'!•*'•  '"jjjfiif  'jtroii?  iIJIw  ,:"jiO! 

POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL. 

MY  POLITICAL  PRINCIPLES —  REASONS  FOB  MY  CHANGE  OF  PARTIES*  —  KANSAS 
AND  SECESSION  — WIDE-AWAKES— GRAND  ILLUMINATION  OF  LINDENCROFT  — 
JOKE  ON  A  DEMOCRATIC  NEIGHBOR  —  PEACE  MEETINGS  —  THE  STEPNEY 
EXCITEMENT— TEARING  DOWN  A  PEACE  FLAG  —  A  LOYAL  MEETING  —  RECEP 
TION  IN  BRIDGEPORT  —  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  "FARMER"  OFFICE  —  ELIAS 
HOWE,  JR. — SAINT  PETER  .  AND  SALTPETRE  —  DRAFT  RIOTS — BURGLARS  AT 
LINDENCROFT  —  MY  ELECTION  TO  THE  LEGISLATURE  —  BEGINNING  OF  MY 
WAR  ON  RAILROAD  MONOPOLIES  —  WIRE-PULLING — THE  XIV.  AMENDMENT 
TO  THE  UNITED  STATES  CONSTITUTION  —  STRIKING  THE  WORD  "  WHITE " 
FROM  THE  CONNECTICUT  CONSTITUTION  —  MY  SPEECH. 

I  BEGAN  my  political  life  as  a  Democrat,  and  my  news 
paper,  the  Herald  of  Freedom,  was  a  Jackson-Demo 
cratic  journal.  While  always  taking  an  active  interest 
in  political  matters,  I  had  no  desire  for  personal  prefer 
ment,  and,  up  to  a  late  period,  steadily  declined  to  run 
for  office.  Nevertheless,  in  1852  or  1853,  prominent 
members  of  the  party  with  which  I  voted,  urged  the 
submission  of  my  name  to  the  State  Convention,  as  a 
candidate  for  the  office  of  Governor,  and  although  the 
party  was  then  in  the  ascendancy,  and  a  nomination 
would  have  been  equivalent  to  an  election,  I  peremp 
torily  refused ;  in  spite  of  this  refusal,  which  was  gen 
erally  known,  several  votes  were  cast  for  me  in  the 
Convention.  The  Kansas  strifes,  in  1854,  shook  my 
faith  in  my  party,  though  I  continued  to  call  myself  a 
Democrat,  often  declaring  that  if  I  thought  there  was 
a  drop  of  blood  in  me  that  was  not  democratic,  I  would 
let  it  out  if  I  had  to  cut  the  jugular  vein.  When, 


610  POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL. 

however,  secession  threatened  in  1860,  I  thought  it  was 
time  for  a  "  new  departure,"  and  I  identified  myself  with 
the  Republican  party. 

During  the  active  and  exciting  political  campaign 
of  1860,  which  resulted  in  Mr.  Lincoln's  first  election 
to  the  presidency,  it  will  be  remembered  that  "  Wide- 
Awake  "  associations,  with  their  uniforms,  torches  and 
processions,  were  organized  in  nearly  every  city,  town 
and  village  throughout  the  North.  Arriving  at  Bridge 
port  from  New  York  at  five  o'clock  one  afternoon,  I 
was  informed  that  the  Wide- Awakes  were  to  parade 
that  evening  and  intended  to  march  out  to  Lindencroft. 
So  I  ordered  two  boxes  of  sperm  candles,  and  prepared 
for  a  general  illumination  of  every  window  in  the  front 
of  my  house.  Many  of  my  neighbors,  including  several 
Democrats,  came  to  Lindencroft  in  the  evening  to  wit 
ness  the  illumination  and  see  the  Wide-Awake  proces 
sion.  My  nearest  neighbor,  Mr.  T.,  was  a  strong  Dem 
ocrat,  and  before  he  came  to  my  house,  he  ordered 
his  servants  to  stay  in  the  basement,  and  not  to  show  a 
light  above  ground,  thus  intending  to  prove  his  Dem 
ocratic  convictions  and  conclusions  by  the  darkness 
of  his  "  premises ;  and  so,  while  Lindencroft  was  all 
ablaze  with  a  flood  of  light,  the  next  house  was  as 
black  as  a  coal-hole. 

My  neighbor,  Mr.  James  D.  Johnson,  was  also  a 
Democrat,  but  I  knew  he  would  not  spoil  a  good  joke 
for  the  sake  of  politics,  and  I  asked  him  to  engage  the 
attention  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.,  and  to  keep  their  faces 
turned  towards  Bridgeport  and  the  approaching  proces 
sion,  the  light  of  whose  torches  could  already  be  seen 
in  the  distance,  while  another  Democratic  friend,  Mr. 
George  A,  Wells,  and  I,  ran  over  and  illuminated  Mr 


POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL.  61 1 

TVs  house.  This  we  did  with  great  success,  completing 
our  work  five  minutes  before  the  procession  arrived. 
As  the  Wide- Awakes  turned  into  my  grounds  and  saw 
that  the  house  of  Mr.  T.  was  brilliantly  illuminated, 
they  concluded  that  he  had  become  a  sudden  convert  to 
Republicanism,  and  gave  three  rousing  cheers  for  him. 
Hearing  his  name  thus  cheered  and  wondering  at  the 
cause,  he  happened  to  turn  and  see  that  his  house  was 
lighted  up  from  basement  to  attic,  and  uttering  a 
single  profane  ejaculation,  he  rushed  for  home.  He 
was  not  able,  however,  to  put  out  the  lights  till  the 
Wide-Awakes  had  gone  on  their  way  rejoicing  under 
the  impression  that  one  more  Republican  had  been 
added  to  their  ranks. 

When  the  rebellion  broke  out  in  1861,  I  was  too  old 
to  go  to  the  field,  but  I  supplied  four  substitutes,  and 
contributed  liberally  from  my  means  for  the  cause  of 
the  Union.  After  the  defeat  at  Bull  Run,  July  21, 
1861,  "  peace  meetings"  began  to  be  held  in  different 
parts  of  the  Northern  States,  and  especially  in  Fairfield 
and  Litchfield  Counties,  in  Connecticut.  It  was  usual  in 
these  assemblages  to  display  a  white  flag,  bearing  the 
word  "  Peace  "  above  the  National  flag,  and  to  make  and 
listen  to  harangues  denunciatory  of  the  war.  One  of 
these  meetings  was  advertised  to  be  held,  August  24th, 
at  Stepney,  ten  miles  north  of  Bridgeport.  On  the 
morning  of  that  day,  I  met  Elias  Howe,  Jr.,  who  pro 
posed  to  me  that  we  should  drive  up  to  Stepney,  attend 
the  Peace  meeting,  and  hear  for  ourselves  whether  the 
addresses  were  disloyal  or  not.  We  agreed  to  meet  at 
the  post-office,  at  twelve  o'clock  at  noon,  and  I  went 
home  for  my  carriage.  On  the  way  I  met  several  gen 
tlemen  to  whom  I  communicated  my  intention,  asking 


612  POLITICAL  AND  PERSONA!* 

them  to  go  also ;  and  as  Mr.  Howe  invited  several  of  his 
friends  to  accompany  us,  when  we  met  at  noon,  at  least 
twenty  gentlemen  were  at  the  place  of  rendezvous  with 
their  carriages,  ready  to  start  for  Stepney.  I  am  quite 
confident  that  not  one  of  us  had  any  other  intention  in 
going  to  this  meeting,  than  to  quietly  listen  to  the  haran 
gues,  and  if  they  were  found  to  be  in  opposition  to  the 
government,  and  calculated  to  create  disturbance  or  dis 
affection  in  the  community,  and  deter  enlistments,  it 
would  be  best  to  represent  the  matter  to  the  govern 
ment  at  Washington,  and  ask  that  measures  might  be 
taken  to  suppress  such  gatherings. 

As  we  turned  into  Main  Street,  we  discovered  two 
large  omnibuses  filled  with  soldiers,  who  were  at  home 
on  furlough,  and  who  were  going  to  Stepney.  Our 
lighter  carriages  outran  them,  and  so  arrived  at  Stepney 
in  time  to  see  the  white  peace  flag  run  up  over  the  stars 
and  stripes,  when  we  quietly  stood  in  the  crowd  while 
the  meeting  was  organized.  It  was  a  very  large  gather 
ing,  and  some  fifty  ladies  were  on  the  seats  in  front  of 
the  platform,  on  which  were  the  officers  and  speakers 
of  the  meeting.  A  "  preacher,"  —  Mr.  Charles  Smith, 
—  was  invited  to  open  the  proceedings  with  prayer,  and 
"  The  Military  and  Civil  History  of  Connecticut,  during 
the  War  of  1861-65,"  by  W.  A.  Croffut  and  John  M. 
Morris,  thus  continues  the  record  of  this  extraordinary 
gathering : 

"  He  (Smith)  had  not,  however,  progressed  far  in  his 
supplication,  when  he  slightly  opened  his  eyes,  and 
beheld,  to  his  horror,  the  Bridgeport  omnibuses  coming 
over  the  hill,  garnished  with  Union  banners,  and  vocal 
with  loyal  cheers.  This  was  the  signal  for  a  panic ; 
Bull  Run,  on  a  small  scale  was  re-enacted.  The  devout 


POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL.  5lo 

Smith,  and  the  undelivered  orators,  it  is  alleged,  took 
refuge  in  a  field  of  corn.  The  procession  drove  straight 
to  the  pole  unresisted,  the  hostile  crowd  parting  to  let 
them  pass  ;  and  a  tall  man,  —  John  Platt,  — amid  some 
mutterings,  climbed  the  pole,  reached  the  halliards,  and 
the  mongrel  banners  were  on  the  ground.  Some  of  the 
peace-men,  rallying,  drew  weapons  on  '  the  invaders,' 
and  a  musket  and  a  revolver  were  taken  from  them  by 
soldiers  at  the  very  instant  of  firing.  Another  of  the 
defenders  fired  a  revolver,  and  was  chased  into  the 
fields.  Still  others,  waxing  belligerent,  were  disarmed, 
and  a  number  of  loaded  muskets  found  stored  in  an 
adjacent  shed  were  seized.  The  stars  and  stripes  were 
hoisted  upon  the  pole,  and  wildly  cheered.  P.  T.  Bar- 
num  was  then  taken  on  the  shoulders  of  the  boys  in 
blue,  and  put  on  the  platform,  where  he  made  a  speech 
full  of  patriotism,  spiced  with  the  humor  of  the  occasion. 
Captain  James  E,  Dunham  also  said  a  few  words  to  the 
point.  .  .  .  .  '  The  Star  Spangled  Banner '  was 
then  sung  in  chorus,  and  a  series  of  resolutions  passed, 
declaring  that c  loyal  men  are  the  rightful  custodians  of 
the  peace  of  Connecticut.'  Elias  Howe,  Jr.,  chairman, 
made  his  speech,  when  the  crowd  threatened  to  shoot 
the  speakers:  '  If  they  fire  a  gun,  boys,  burn  the  whole 
town,  and  I'll  pay  for  it!'  After  giving  the  citizens 
wholesome  advice  concerning  the  substituted  flag,  and 
fcheir  duty  to  the  government,  the  procession  returned 
1,o  Bridgeport,  with  the  white  flag  trailing  in  the  mud 

behind  an  omnibus They  were  received 

at  Bridgeport  by  approving  crowds,  and  were  greeted 
with  continuous  cheers  as  they  passed  along." 

On  our  way  back  to  Bridgeport,  the  soldiers  threat 
ened  a  descent  upon  the  Farmer  office,  but  I  strongly 

28* 


614  POLITICAL    AND    PERSONAL. 

appealed  to  them  to  refrain  from  such  a  riotous  pro 
ceeding,  telling  them  that  as  law-abiding  citizens  they 
should  refrain  from  acts  of  violence  and  especially 
should  make  no  appeal  to  the  passions  of  a  mob.  So 
confident  was  I  that  the  day's  proceedings  had  ended 
with  the  reception  of  the  soldiers  on  their  return  from 
Stepney,  that  in  telegraphing  a  full  account  of  the  facts 
to  the  New  York  papers,  I  added  that  there  was  no 
danger  of  an  attack  upon  the  Farmer  office,  since 
leading  loyal  citizens  were  opposed  to  such  action  as 
unnecessary  and  unwise.  But  the  enthusiasm  with 
which  the  soldiers  had  been  received,  and  the  excite 
ment  of  the  day,  prompted  them  to  break  through  their 
resolutions,  and,  half  an  hour  after  my  telegram  had 
been  sent  to  New  York,  they  rushed  into  the  Farmer 
office,  tumbled  the  type  into  the  street,  and  broke  the 
presses.  I  did  not  approve  of  this  summary  suppres 
sion  of  the  paper,  and  offered  the  proprietors  a  hand 
some  subscription  to  assist  in  enabling  them  to  renew 
the  publication  of  the  Farmer.  One  of  the  editors  of 
this  paper  went  South,  and  connected  himself  with  a 
journal  in  Augusta,  Georgia;  the  remaining  proprietor 
shortly  afterwards  re-issued  the  Farmer,  but  the  peace 
meetings  which  had  been  advertised  for  different  towns 
were  never  held;  the  gathering  at  Stepney  was  the 
last  of  the  kind. 

Elias  Howe,  Jr.,  although  he  was  a  man  of  wealth 
and  well  advanced  in  years,  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the 
Seventeenth  regiment  of  Connecticut  volunteers  and 
served  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Once  when  his 
fellow-soldiers,  not  having  been  paid  off,  were  in  need 
of  money,  he  advanced  $13,000  due  them,  and  when  his 
regiment  was  disbanded  and  discharged  from  service,  he 


POLITICAL  AND  PEBSONAL.  615 

chartered,  at  his  own  expense,  a  special  train  to  bring 
them  from  New  Haven  to  Bridgeport,  where  they  had  a 
public  reception. 

Mr.  Howe,  like  all  men  of  his  reputed  wealth  and 
liberality,  was  constantly  besieged  by  solicitors  for  all 
sorts  of  charities,  nor  was  he  free  from  such  applica 
tions  when  he  was  serving  as  a  common  soldier  in  Vir 
ginia.  On  one  occasion  a  worthy  priest  came  to  him 
and  asked  for  a  subscription  to  a  church  which  was  then 
building.  "  Who  is  it,"  exclaimed  Howe,  "  that  talks 
of  building  churches  in  this  time  of  war  1 "  The  priest 
ventured  to  say  that  he  was  trying  to  build  in  his  parish 
a  church  which  was  to  be  known  as  St.  Peter's. 

"  St.  Peter's  is  it?  "  asked  Howe  ;  "  well,  St.  Peter  was, 
in  his  way,  a  fighting  man ;  he  drew  a  sword  once  and 
cut  off  a  man's  ear ;  on  the  whole,  I  think,"  he  added, 
as  he  gave  a  handsome  sum  of  money  to  the  priest,  "  I 
must  do  something  for  St.  Peter,  though  about  these 
days  I  am  devoting  my  attention  and  money  mainly  to 
saltpetre." 

After  the  draft  riots  in  New  York  and  in  other  cities, 
in  July,  1863,  myself  and  other  members  of  the  "Pru 
dential  Committee  "  which  had  been  formed  in  Bridge 
port  were  frequently  threatened  with  personal  violence, 
and  rumors  were  especially  rife  that  Lindencroft  would 
some  night  be  mobbed  and  destroyed.  On  several  occa 
sions,  soldiers  volunteered  as  a  guard  and  came  and 
stayed  at  my  house,  sometimes  for  several  nights  in  suc 
cession,  and  I  was  also  provided  with  rockets,  so  that  in 
case  of  an  attempted  attack  I  could  signal  to  my  friends 
in  the  city  and  especially  to  the  night  watchman  at  the 
arsenal,  who  would  see  my  rockets  at  Lindencroft  and 
give  the  alarm.  Happily  these  signals  were  never 


616  POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL. 

needed,  but  the  rockets  came  in  play,  long  afterwards,  in 
another  way. 

My  house  was  provided  with  a  magnetic  burglar- 
alarm  and  one  night  the  faithful  bell  sounded.  I  was 
instantly  on  my  feet  and  summoning  my  servants,  one 
ran  and  rung  the  large  bell  on  the  lawn  which  served  in 
the  day  time  to  call  my  coachman  from  the  stable, 
another  turned  on  the  gas,  while  I  fired  a  gun  out  of  the 
window  and  I  then  went  to  the  top  of  the  house  and  set 
oif  several  rockets.  The  whole  region  round  about  was 
instantly  aroused  ;  dogs  barked,  neighbors  half- dressed, 
but  armed,  flocked  over  to  my  grounds,  every  time  a 
rocket  went  up,  and  I  was  by  no  means  sparing  of  my 
supply ;  the  whole  place  was  as  light  as  day,  and  in  the 
general  glare  and  confusion  we  caught  sight  of  two 
retreating  burglars,  one  running  one  way,  the  other 
another  way,  and  both  as  fast  as  their  legs  could  carry 
them ;  nor  do  I  believe  that  the  panic-stricken  would- 
be  plunderers  stopped  running  till  they  reached  New 
York. 

It  always  seemed  to  me  that  a  man  who  "  takes  no 
interest  in  politics  "  is  unfit  to  live  in  a  land  where  the 
government  rests  in  the  hands  of  the  people.  Conse 
quently,  whether  I  expressed  them  or  not,  I  always  had 
pronounced  opinions  upon  all  the  leading  political  ques 
tions  of  the  day,  and  no  frivolous  reason  ever  kept 
me  from  the  polls.  Indeed,  on  one  occasion,  I  even 
hastened  my  return  from  Europe,  so  that  I  could  take 
part  in  a  presidential  election.  I  was  a  party  man,  but 
not  a  partisan,  nor  a  wire-puller,  and  I  had  never 
sought  or  desired  office,  though  it  had  often  been  ten 
dered  to  me.  This  was  notoriously  true,  among  all 
who  knew  me,  up  to  the  year  18653  when  I  accepted 


,; 


POLITICAL  AND  PEKSONAL.  617 

from  the  Republican  party  a  nomination  to  the  Con 
necticut  legislature  from  the  town  of  Fairfield,  and  I 
did  this  because  I  felt  that  it  would  be  an  honor  to  be 
permitted  to  vote  for  the  then  proposed  amendment 
to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  to  abolish 
slavery  forever  from  the  land. 

I  was  elected,  and  on  arriving  at  Hartford  the  night 
before  the  session  began,  I  found  the  wire-pullers  at 
work  laying  their  plans  for  the  election  of  a  Speaker  of 
the  House.  Watching  the  movements  closely,  I  saw  that 
the  railroad  interests  had  combined  in  support  of  one 
of  the  candidates,  and  this  naturally  excited  my  suspi 
cion.  I  never  believed  in  making  State  legislation  a  mere 
power  to  support  monopolies.  I  do  not  need  to  declare 
my  full  appreciation  of  the  great  blessings  which  rail 
road  interests  and  enterprises  have  brought  upon  this 
country  and  the  world.  But  the  vaster  the  enterprise 
and  its  power  for  good,  the  greater  its  opportunity 
for  mischief  if  its  power  is  perverted.  The  time  was 
when  a  whole  community  was  tied  to  the  track  of  one 
or  two  railway  companies,  and  it  was  too  truthful  to 
be  looked  upon  as  satire  to  call  New  Jersey  the  "  State 
of  Camden  and  Amboy."  A  great  railroad  company,  like 
fire,  is  a  good  servant,  but  a  bad  master;  and  when  it  is 
considered  that  such  a  company,  with  its  vast  number 
of  men  dependent  upon  it  for  their  daily  bread,  can 
sometimes  elect  State  officers  and  legislatures,  the  dan 
ger  to  our  free  institutions  from  such  a  force  may  well 
be  feared. 

Thinking  of  these  things,  and  seeing  in  the  combina 
tion  of  railroad  interests  to  elect  a  speaker,  no  promise 
of  good  to  the  community  at  large,  I  at  once  consulted 
with  a  few  friends  in  the  legislature,  and  we  resolved  to 


618  POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL 

defeat  the  railroad  "  ring,"  if  possible,  in  caucus.  I  had 
not  even  seen  either  of  the  candidates  for  the  speaker- 
ship,  nor  had  I  a  single  selfish  end  in  view  to  gratify  by 
the  election  of  one  candidate  or  the  other ;  but  I  felt 
that  if  the  railroad  favorite  could  be  defeated,  the 
public  interest  would  be  subserved.  We  succeeded ; 
their  candidate  was  not  nominated,  and  the  railroad  men 
were  taken  by  surprise.  They  had  had  their  own  way 
in  every  legislature  since  the  first  railroad  was  laid  down 
in  Connecticut,  and  to  be  beaten  now  fairly  startled 
them. 

Immediately  after  the  caucus,  I  sought  the  successful 
nominee,  Hon.  E.  K.  Foster,  of  New  Haven,  and 
begged  him  not  to  appoint  as  chairman  of  the  railroad 
committee  the  man  who  had  held  that  office  for  several 
successive  years,  and  who  was,  in  fact,  the  great  rail 
road  factotum  in  the  State.  He  complied  with  my  re 
quest,  and  he  soon  found  how  important  it  was  to  check 
the  strong  and  growing  monopoly ;  for,  as  he  said,  the 
"  outside  pressure  "  from  personal  friends  in  both  polit 
ical  parties,  to  secure  the  appointment  of  the  person  to 
whom  I  had  objected,  was  terrible. 

Though  I  had  not  foreseen  nor  thought  of  such  a 
thing  until  I  reached  Hartford,  I  soon  found  that  a 
battle  with  the  railroad  commissioners  would  be  neces 
sary,  and  my  course  was  shaped  accordingly.  It  was 
soon  discovered  that  a  majority  of  the  railroad  com 
missioners  were  mere  tools  in  the  hands  of  the  railroad 
companies,  and  that  one  of  them  was  actually  a  hired 
clerk  in  the  office  of  the  New  York  and  New  Haven 
Railroad  Company.  It  was  also  shown  that  the  chair 
man  of  the  railroad  commissioners  permitted  most  of  the 
accidents  which  occurred  on  that  road  to  be  taken 


POLITICAL   AND   PERSONAL.  619 

charge  of  and  reported  upon  by  the  paid  lobby  agent  of 
that  railroad.  This  was  so  manifestly  destructive  to  the 
interests  of  all  parties  who  might  suffer  from  accidents 
on  the  road,  or  have  any  controversy  therefor  with  the 
company,  that  I  succeeded  in  enlisting  the  farmers  and 
other  true  men  on  the  side  of  right ;  and  we  defeated 
the  chairman  of  the  railroad  commissioners,  who  was  a 
candidate  for  re-election,  and  elected  our  own  candidate 
in  his  place.  I  also  carried  through  a  law  that  no 
person  who  was  in  the  employ  of  any  railroad  in  the 
State  should  serve  as  railroad  commissioner. 

But  the  great  struggle  which  lasted  nearly  through 
the  entire  session  was  upon  the  subject  of  railroad 
passenger  commutations.  Commodore  Vanderbilt  had 
secured  control  of  the  Hudson  Kiver  and  Harlem  rail 
roads,  and  had  increased  the  price  of  commuters'  tick 
ets  from  two  hundred  to  four  hundred  per  cent.  Many 
men  living  on  the  line  of  these  roads  at  distances  of 
from  ten  to  fifty  miles  from  New  York,  had  built  fine 
residences  in  the  country,  on  the  strength  of  cheap 
transit  to  and  from  the  city,  and  were  compelled  to 
submit  to  the  extortion.  Commodore  Vanderbilt  was 
a  large  shareholder  in  the  New  York  and  New  Haven 
road  ;  indeed,  subsequent  elections  showed  that  he  had 
a  controlling  interest,  and  it  seemed  evident  to  me  that 
the  same  practice  would  be  put  in  operation  on  the 
New  Haven  Eailroad,  that  commuters  were  groaning 
under  on  the  two  other  roads.  I  enlisted  as  many  as 
I  could  in  an  effort  to  strangle  this  outrage  before  it 
became  too  strong  to  grapple  with.  -Several  lawyers 
in  the  Assembly  had  promised  me  their  aid,  but  long 
before  the  final  struggle  came,  every  lawyer  except  one 
in  that  body  was  enlisted  in  favor  of  the  railroads ! 


620  POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL. 

What  potent  influence  had  been  at  work  with  these 
legal  gentlemen  could  only  be  surmised.     Certain  it  is 
that  all  the  railroad  interests  in  the   State  were  com 
bined  ;  and  while  they  had  plenty  of  money  with  which  to 
carry  out  their  designs  and  desires,  the  chances  looked 
slim  in  favor  of  those  members  of  the  legislature  who 
had  no  pecuniary  interest  in  the  matter,  but  were  strug 
gling  simply  for  justice  and  the  protection  of  the  peo 
ple.     But  "  Yankee  stick-to-it-iveness  "  was  always  a 
noted  feature  in  my  character.      Every    inch    of   the 
ground  was  fought  over,  day  after  day,  before  the  legis 
lative  railroad  committee.     Examinations  and  cross-ex 
aminations    of   railroad    commissioners    and    lobbyists 
were  kept  up.     Scarcely  more  than  one  man,  Senator 
Ballard,  of  Darien,   aided  me  personally  in  the  investi 
gations  which  took  place.     But  he   was  a  host  in  him 
self,  and  we  left  not  a  stone  unturned  ;  we  succeeded  by 
our  persistence,  in  letting  in  considerable  light  upon  a 
dark  subject.     The  man  whom  I  had  prevented  from 
being  made  chairman,  succeeded  in  becoming  a  mem 
ber  of  the  railroad  committee ;  but,  from  the  mouths  of 
unwilling  witnesses,  I  exhibited  his  connection  with  rail 
road  reports,  railroad  laws,  and  railroad  lobbyings,  in 
such  a  light  that  he  took  to  his   bed  some   ten  days 
before  the   end  of  the   session,  and  actually  remained 
there,  "sick,"  as  he  said,  till  the  legislature  adjourned. 
The  speaker  offered  me  the  chairmanship  of  any  one 
of  several  committees,  and  I  selected  that  of  the  Agri 
cultural  committee,  because  it  would  occupy  but  little  of 
my  time,  and  give  me  the  opportunity  I  so  much  desired 
to    devote  my  attention   to   the   railway  combinations. 
The  Republicans  had  a  majority  in  both  branches  of 
the  legislature  ;  the  Democrats,  however,  were  watchful 


POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL.  621 

and  energetic.  The  amendment  to  the  United  States 
Constitution,  abolishing  slavery,  met  with  but  little  open 
opposition ;  but  the  proposed  amendment  to  the  State 
Constitution,  striking  out  the  word  "  white  "  from  that 
clause  which  defined  the  qualifications  of  voters,  was 
violently  opposed  by  the  Democratic  members.  The 
report  from  the  minority  of  the  committee  to  whom  the 
question  was  referred,  gave  certain  reasons  for  offering 
the  contemplated  amendment,  and  in  reply  to  this,  I 
spoke,  May  26,  1865,  as  follows  : 


SPEECH   OF  P.  T.  BARNUM, 

ON  THE  CONSTITUTIONAL  AMENDMENT. 

MR.  SPEAKER  :—  I  will  not  attempt  to  notice  at  any 
length  the  declamation  of  the  honorable  gentleman 
from  Milford,  for  certainly  I  have  heard  nothing  from 
his  lips  approaching  to  the  dignity  of  argument.  I 
agree  with  the  gentleman  that  the  right  of  suffrage  is 
"  dearly  and  sacredly  cherished  by  the  white  man  " ;  and 
it  is  because  this  right  is  so  dear  and  sacred,  that  I  wish 
to  see  it  extended  to  every  educated  moral  man  within 
our  State,  without  regard  to  color.  He  tells  us  that  one 
race  is  a  vessel  to  honor,  and  another  to  dishonor ;  and 
that  he  has  seen  on  ancient  Egyptian  monuments  the 
negro  represented  as  "  a  hewer  of  wood  and  a  drawei 
of  water."  This  is  doubtless  true,  and  the  gentleman 
seems  determined  always  to  keep  the  negro  a  "  vessel  of 
dishonor,"  and  a  "  hewer  of  wood."  We,  on  the  other 
hand,  propose  to  give  him  the  opportunity  of  expanding 
his  faculties  and  elevating  himself  to  true  manhood. 
He  says  he  "hates  and  abhors  and  despises  demagog- 


622  POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL. 

ism."  I  am  rejoiced  to  hear  it,  and  I  trust  we  shall 
see  tangible  evidence  of  the  truth  of  what  he  professes 
in  his  abandonment  of  that  slavery  to  party  which  is  the 
mere  trick  and  trap  of  the  demagogue. 

When,  a  few  days  since,  this  honorable  body  voted 
unanimously  for  the  Amendment  of  the  United  States 
Constitution  abolishing  human  slavery,  1  not  only 
thanked  God  from  my  heart  of  hearts,  but  I  felt  like 
going  down  on  my  knees  to  the  gentlemen  of  the  op 
position  for  the  wisdom  they  had  exhibited  in  bowing  to 
the  logic  of  events  by  dropping  that  dead  weight  of 
slavery  which  had  disrupted  the  Democratic  party,  with 
which  I  had  been  so  long  connected.  And  on  this 
occasion  I  wish  again  to  appeal  to  the  wisdom  and 
loyalty  of  my  Democratic  friends.  I  say  Democratic 
u  friends,"  for  I  am  and  ever  was  a  thorough,  out  and 
out  Democrat.  I  supported  General  Jackson,  and  voted 
for  every  Democratic  president  after  him,  up  to  and 
including  Pierce ;  for  I  really  thought  Pierce  was  a 
Democrat  until  he  proved  the  contrary,  as  I  conceived, 
in  the  Kansas  question.  My  democracy  goes  for  the 
greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number,  for  equal  and 
exact  justice  to  all  men,  and  for  a  submission  to  the 
will  of  the  majority.  If  I  thought  I  had  one  drop  of 
blood  in  my  veins  which  was  not  democratic,  in  the 
light  of  this  definition,  I  would  have  it  out,  no  matter 
at  what  trouble  or  sacrifice.  It  was  the  repudiation  by 
the  southern  democracy  of  this  great  democratic  doc 
trine  of  majority  rule  which  opened  the  rebellion. 

And  now,  Mr.  Speaker,  let  me  remind  our  demo 
cratic  friends  that  the  present  question  simply  asks  that 
a  majority  of  the  legal  voters,  the  white  citizens  of  this 
State,  may  decide  whether  or  not  colored  men  of  good 


POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL,  623 

moral  character,  who  are  able  to  read  and  who  possess 
all  the  qualifications  of  white  voters,  shall  be  entitled  to 
the  elective  franchise.  The  opposition  may  have  their 
own  ideas,  or  may  be  in  doubt  upon  this  subject ;  but 
surely  no  true  democrat  will  dare  to  refuse  permission 
to  our  fellow-citizens  to  decide  the  question. 

Negro  slavery  and  its  legitimate  outgrowths  of  igno 
rance,  tyranny  and  oppression,  have  caused  this  gigantic 
rebellion  which  has  cost  our  country  thousands  of 
millions  of  treasure,  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
human  lives  in  defending  a  principle.  And  where  was 
this  poor,  down-trodden  colored  race  in  this  rebellion? 
Did  they  seize  the  u  opportunity  "  when  their  masters 
were  engaged  with  a  powerful  foe,  to  break  out  in 
insurrection,  and  massacre  those  tyrants  who  had  so 
long  held  them  in  the  most  cruel  bondage  ?  No,  Mr. 
Speaker,  they  did  not  do  this.  My  "  democratic  "  friends 
would  have  done  it.  I  would  have  done  it.  Irishmen, 
Chinamen,  Portuguese,  would  have  done  it ;  any  white 
man  would  have  done  it ;  but  the  poor  black  man  is 
like  a  lamb  in  his  nature  compared  with  the  white  man. 
.The  black  man  possesses  a  confiding  disposition, 
thoroughly  tinctured  with  religious  enthusiasm,  and  not 
characterized  by  a  spirit  of  revenge.  No,  the  only 
barbarous  massacres  we  heard  of,  during  the  war, 
were  those  committed  by  their  white  masters  on  their 
poor,  defenceless  white  prisoners,  and  to  the  eternal  dis 
grace  of  southern  white  "  democratic  "  rebels,  be  it  said, 
these  instances  of  barbarism  were  numerous  all  through 
the  war.  When  this  rebellion  first  broke  out,  the 
northern  democracy  raised  a  hue-and-cry  against  permit 
ting  the  negroes  to  fight;  but  when  such  a  measure 
seemed  necessary,  in  order  to  put  down  traitors,  these 


624  POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL. 

colored  men  took  their  muskets  in  hand  and  made  their 
bodies  a  wall  of  defence  for  the  loyal  citizens  of  the 
north.  And  now,  when  our  grateful  white  citizens  ask 
from  this  assembly  the  privilege  of  deciding  by  their 
votes  whether  these  colored  men,  who,  at  least,  were 
partially  our  saviors  in  the  war,  may  or  may  not,  under 
proper  restrictions,  become  participants  in  that  great 
salvation,  I  am  amazed  that  men  calling  themselves 
democrats  dare  refuse  to  grant  this  democratic  measure. 
We  wish  to  educate  ignorant  men,  white  or  black. 
Ignorance  is  incompatible  with  the  genius  of  our  free 
institutions.  In  the  very  nature  of  things  it  jeopardizes 
their  stability,  and  it  is  always  unsafe  to  transgress  the 
laws  of  nature.  We  cannot  safely  shut  ourselves  up 
with  ignorance  and  brutality ;  we  must  educate  and 
christianize  those  who  are  now  by  circumstances  our 
social  inferiors. 

Years  ago,  I  was  afraid  of  foreign  voters.  I  feared 
that  when  Europe  poured  her  teeming  millions  of  work 
ing  people  upon  our  shores,  our  extended  laws  of  fran 
chise  would  enable  them  to  swamp  our  free  institutions, 
and  reduce  us  to  anarchy.  But  much  reflection  has 
satisfied  me  that  we  have  only  to  elevate  these  millions 
and  their  descendants  to  the  standard  of  American  citi 
zenship,  and  we  shall  find  sufficient  of  the  leaven  of 
liberty  in  our  system  of  government  to  absorb  all  foreign 
elements  and  assimilate  them  to  a  truly  democratic  form 
of  government. 

Mr.  Speaker :  We  cannot  afford  to  carry  passengers 
and  have  them  live  under  our  government  with  no  real 
vital  interest  in  its  perpetuity.  Every  man  must  be  a 
joint  owner. 

The  only  safe  inhabitants  of  a  free  country  are  edu- 


POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL.  62.5 

cated  citizens  who  vote.  The  gentleman  from  Milford 
lives  near  the  old  Washington  toll-bridge,  which  spans 
the  Housatonic  River,  and  he  doubtless  remembers,  as  I 
do,  when  the  Boston  and  New  York  stages  crossed  that 
bridge,  and  the  coachman  would  always  denounce  the 
"  infernal  bridge  monopoly  "  which  compelled  him  to 
pay  a  dollar  every  time  the  stage  crossed.  The  passen 
gers  would  generally  laugh  and  say  :  "  Let  him  pay,  it's 
nothing  to  us ;  we  are  only  passengers."  Some  twenty 
years  ago,  one  of  the  gentlemen  accustomed  to  travel  in 
that  stage,  was  crossing  the  Atlantic  in  a  steamship. 
At  the  hour  of  midnight,  when  nearly  all  were  wrapt 
in  sleep,  the  fearful  cry  of  "  fire  "  rang  through  the  ship. 
There  were  the  poor  passengers,  threatened  by  the 
devouring  element,  and  only  a  plank  between  them  and 
death.  Our  passenger,  not  half  awake,  rubbed  his  eyes 
and  probably  fancying  he  was  in  the  old  stage-coach, 
cried  out :  "  Fire  away,  I  am  only  a  passenger !  "  For 
tunately,  it  was  a  false  alarm ;  but  when  the  gentleman 
was  wide  awake,  he  discovered  that  there  could  be  no 
disinterested  passengers  on  board  a  burning  ship. 

Nor  in  a  free  government  can  we  afford  to  employ 
journeymen  ;  they  may  be  apprenticed  until  they  learn  to 
read,  and  study  our  institutions ;  and  then  let  them  become 
joint  proprietors  and  feel  a  proportionate  responsibility. 
The  two  learned  and  distinguished  authors  of  the 
minority  report  have  been  studying  the  science  of 
ethnology  and  have  treated  us  with  a  dissertation  on 
the  races.  And  what  have  they  attempted  to  show? 
Why,  that  a  race  which,  simply  on  account  of  the  color  of 
the  skin,  has  long  been  buried  in  slavery  at  the  South, 
and  even  at  the  North  has  been  tabooed  and  scarcely 
permitted  to  rise  above  the  dignity  of  whitewashers  and 


626  POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL. 

boot-blacks,  does  not  exhibit  the  same  polish  and  refine 
ment  that  the  white  citizens  do  who  have  enjoyed  the 
advantages  of  civilization,  education,  Christian  culture 
and  self-respect  which  can  only  be  attained  by  those 
who  share  in  making  the  laws  under  which  they  live. 

Do  our  democratic  friends  assume  that  the  negroes 
are  not  human?  I  have  heard  professed  democrats 
claim  even  that ;  but  do  the  authors  of  this  minority 
report  insist  that  the  negro  is  a  beast  ]  Is  his  body  not 
tenanted  by  an  immortal  spirit  ?  If  this  is  the  position 
of  the  gentlemen,  then  I  confess  a  beast  cannot  reason, 
and  this  minority  committee  are  right  in  declaring  that 
"  the  negro  can  develop  no  inventive  faculties  or  genius 
for  the  arts."  For  although  the  elephant  may  be  taught 
to  plow,  or  the  dog  to  carry  your  market-basket  by 
his  teeth,  you  cannot  teach  them  to  shave  notes,  to  spec 
ulate  in  gold,  or  even  to  vote ;  whereas,  the  experience 
of  all  political  parties  shows  that. men  may  be  taught  to 
vote,  even  when  they  do  not  know  what  the  ticket 
means. 

But  if  the  colored  man  is  indeed  a  man,  then  his 
manhood  with  proper  training  can  be  developed.  His 
soul  may  appear  dormant,  his  brain  inactive,  but  there 
is  a  vitality  there  ;  and  Nature  will  assert  herself  if  you 
will  give  her  the  opportunity. 

Suppose  an  inhabitant  of  another  planet  should 
drop  down  upon  this  portion  of  our  globe  at  mid- winter. 
He  would  find  the  earth  covered  with  snow  and  ice 
and  congealed  almost  to  the  consistency  of  granite. 
The  trees  are  leafless,  everything  is  cold  and  barren ; 
no  green  thing  is  to  be  seen  ;  the  inhabitants  are  chilled, 
and  stalk  about  shivering,  from  place  to  place;  —  he 
would  exclaim,  "  Surely  this  is  not  life  ;  this  means 


POLITICAL  AND   PERSONAL.  627 

atifiihilation.  No  flesh  and  blood  can  long  endure  this ; 
this  frozen  earth  is  bound  in  the  everlasting  embraces 
of  adamantine  frost,  and  can  never  develop  vegetation 
for  the  sustenance  of  any  living  thing."  He  little  dreams 
of  the  priceless  myriads  of  germs  which  bountiful  Nature 
has  safely  garnered  in  the  warm  bosom  of  our  mother 
earth ;  he  sees  no  evidence  of  that  vitality  which  the 
beneficent  sun  will  develop  to  grace  and  beautify  the 
world.  But  let  him  remain  until  March  or  April,  and 
as  the  snow  "begins  to  melt  away,  he  discovers  the  beau 
tiful  crocus  struggling  through  the  half-frozen  ground ; 
the  show-drops  appear  in  all  their  chaste  beauty  ;  the 
buds  of  the  swamp-maple  shoot  forth ;  the  beautiful 
magnolia  opens  her  splendid  blossoms ;  the  sassafras 
adds  its  evidence  of  life ;  the  pearl-white  blossoms  of 
the  dog-wood  light  up  every  forest;  —  and  while  our 
stranger  is  rubbing  his  eyes  in  astonishment,  the  earth 
is  covered  with  her  emerald  velvet  carpet ;  rich  foliage 
and  brilliant  colored  blossoms  adorn  the  trees  ;  fragrant 
flowers  are  enwreathing  every  wayside  ;  the  swift- winged 
birds  float  through  the  air  and  send  forth  joyful  notes 
of  gratitude  from  every  tree-top ;  the  merry  lambs  skip 
joyfully  arqund  their  verdant  pasture  grounds ;  and 
everywhere  is  our  stranger  surrounded  with  life,  beauty, 
joy  and  gladness. 

So  it  is  with  the  poor  African.  You  may  take  a 
dozen  specimens  of  both  sexes  from  the  lowest  type 
of  man  found  in  Africa ;  their  race  has  been  buried 
for  ages  in  ignorance  and  barbarism,  and  you  can 
scarcely  perceive  that  they  have  any  more  of  manhood 
or  womanhood  than  so  many  orang-outangs  or  gorillas. 
You  look  at  their  low  foreheads,  their  thick  skulls  and 
lips,  their  woolly  heads,  their  flat  noses,  their  dull,  lazy 

29 


628  POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL. 

eyes,  and  you  may  be  tempted  to  adopt  the  language 
of  this  minority  committee,  and  exclaim:  Surely  these 
people  have  "  no  inventive  faculties,  no  genius  for  the 
arts,  or  for  any  of  those  occupations  requiring  intellect 
and  wisdom."  But  bring  them  out  into  the  light  of 
civilization  ;  let  them  and  their  children  come  into  the 
genial  sunshine  of  Christianity ;  teach  them  industry, 
self-reliance,  and  self-respect ;  let  them  learn  what  too 
few  white  Christians  have  yet  understood,  that  clean 
liness  is  akin  to  godliness,  and  a  part  of  godliness  ; 
and  the  human  soul  will  begin  to  develop  itself.  Each 
generation,  blessed  with  churches  and  common  schools, 
will  gradually  exhibit  the  result  of  such  culture  ;  the 
low  foreheads  will  be  raised  and  widened  by  an  ac 
tive  and  expanded  brain ;  the  vacant  eye  of  bar 
barism,  ignorance  and  idleness  will  light  up  with  the 
fire  of  intelligence,  education,  ambition,  activity  and 
Christian  civilization ;  and  you  will  find  the  immortal 
soul  asserting  her  dignity,  by  the  development  of  a 
man  who  would  startle,  by  his  intelligence,  the  honor 
able  gentleman  from  Wallingford,  who  has  presumed 
to  compare  beings  made  in  God's  image  with  "  oxen 
and  asses."  That  honorable  gentleman,  if  he  is  rightly 
reported  in  the  papers  (I  did  not  have  the  happiness  to 
hear  his  speech),  has  mistaken  the  nature  of  the  colored 
man.  The  honorable  gentleman  reminds  me  of  the 
young  man  who  went  abroad,  and  when  he  returned, 
/there  was  nothing  in  America  that  could  compare  with 
what  he  had  seen  in  foreign  lands.  Niagara  Falls  was 
nowhere  ;  the  White  Mountains  were  "  knocked  higher 
than  a  kite  "  by  Mont  Blanc ;  our  rivers  were  so  large 
that  they  were  vulgar,  when  contrasted  with  the  beau 
tiful  little  streams  and  rivulets  of  Europe ;  our  New 


POLITICAL    AND    PERSONAL.  629 

York  Central  Park  was  eclipsed  by  the  Bois  de  Bologne 
and  the  Champs  Ely  sees  of  Paris,  or  Hyde  or  Reg 
ent  Park  of  London,  to  say  nothing  of  the  great 
Phoenix  Park  at  Dublin. 

u  They  have  introduced  a  couple  of  Venetian  gon 
dolas  on  the  large  pond  in  Central  Park,"  remarked  a 
friend. 

"  All  very  well,"  replied  the  verdant  traveller,  "  but 
between  you  and  me,  these  birds  can't  stand  our  cold 
climate  more  than  one  season."  The  gentleman  from 
Wallingford  evidently  had  as  little  idea  of  the  true  nature 
of  the  African  as  the  young  swell  had  of  the  pleasure- 
boats  of  Venice. 

Mr.  Johnson,  of  Wallingford :  The  gentleman  mis 
apprehends  my  remarks.  The  gentleman  from  Norwich 
had  urged  that  the  negro  should  vote  because  they 
have  fought  in  our  battles.  I  replied  that  oxen  and 
asses  can  fight,  and  therefore  should,  on  the  same 
grounds,  be  entitled  to  vote. 

Mr.  Barnum:  1  accept  the  gentleman's  explanation. 
Doubtless  General  Grant  will  feel  himself  highly  com 
plimented  when  he  learns  that  it  requires  no  greater 
capacity  to  handle  the  musket,  and  meet  armed  bat 
talions  in  the  field,  than  "  oxen  and  asses  "  possess. 

Let  the  educated  free  negro  feel  that  he  is  a  man  ; 
let  him  be  trained  in  New  England  churches,  schools 
and  workshops  ;  let  him  support  himself,  pay  his  taxes, 
and  cast  his  vote,  like  other  men,  and  he  will  put  to 
everlasting  shame  the  champions  of  modern  democracy, 
by  the  overwhelming  evidence  he  will  give  in  his  own 
person  of  the  great  Scripture  truth,  that  "  God  has 
made  of  one  blood  all  the  nations  of  men."  A  human 
soul,  "  that  God  has  created  and  Christ  died  for,"  is  not 


630  POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL. 

to  be  trifled  with.  It  may  tenant  the  body  of  a 
naman,  a  Turk,  an  Arab  or  a  Hottentot  —  it  is  still  an 
immortal  spirit;  and  amid  all  assumptions  of  caste,  it 
will  in  due  time  vindicate  the  great  fact  that,  without 
regard  to  color  or  condition,  all  men  are  equally  children 
of  the  common  Father. 

A  few  years  since,  an  English  lord  and  his  family 
were  riding  in  his  carriage  in  Liverpool.  It  was  an 
elegant  equipage ;  the  servants  were  dressed  in  rich 
livery  ;  the  horses  caparisoned  in  the  most  costly  style ; 
and  everything  betokened  that  the  establishment  be 
longed  to  a  scion  of  England's  proudest  aristocracy 
The  carriage  stopped  in  front  of  a  palatial  residence. 
At  this  moment  a  poor  beggar  woman  rushed  to  the 
side  of  the  carriage,  and  gently  seizing  the  lady  by  the 
hand,  exclaimed,  "  For  the  love  of  God  give  me  some 
thing  to  save  my  poor  .sick  children  from  starvation. 
You  are  rich ;  I  am  your  poor  sister,  for  God  is  our 
common  Father." 

"  Wretch !  "  exclaimed  the  proud  lady,  casting  the 
woman's  hand  away;  "Don't  call  me  sister,  I  have 
nothing  in  common  with  such  low  brutes  as  you."  And 
the  great  lady  doubtless  thought  she  was  formed  of  finer 
clay  than  this  suffering  mendicant ;  but  when  a  few  days 
afterwards  she  was  brought  to  a  sick  bed  by  the  small 
pox,  contracted  by  touching  the  hand  of  that  poor 
wretch,  she  felt  the  evidence  that  they  belonged  to  the 
same  great  family,  and  were  subject  to  the  same  pains 
and  diseases. 

The  State  of  Connecticut,  like  New  Jersey,  is  a 
border  State  of  New  York.  New  York  has  a  great 
commercial  city,  where  Aldermen  rob  by  the  tens  of 
thousands,  and  where  principal  is  studied  much  more 


POLITICAL    AND    PERSONAL.  631 

than  principle.  I  can  readily  understand  how  the  negro 
has  come  to  be  debased  at  the  North  as  well  as  at  the 
South.  The  interests  of  the  two  sections  in  the  pro 
duct  of  negro  labor  were  nearly  identical.  The  North 
wanted  Southern  cotton  and  the  South  was  ready  in 
turn  to  buy  from  the  North  whatever  was  needed  in  the 
way  of  Northern  supplies  and  manufactures.  This  com 
munity  of  commercial  interests  led  to  an  identity  in  po 
litical  principles  especially  in  matters  pertaining  to  the 
negro  race — the  working  race  of  the  South — which 
produced  the  cotton  and  consumed  so  much  of  what 
Northern  merchants  and  manufacturers  sold  for  planta 
tion  use.  The  Southern  planters  were  good  customers 
and  were  worth  conciliating.  So  when  Connecticut  pro 
posed  in  1818  to  continue  to  admit  colored  men  to  the 
franchise,  the  South  protested  against  thus  elevating  the 
negroes,  and  Connecticut  succumbed.  No  other  New 
England  State  has  ever  so  disgraced  herself;  and  now 
Connecticut  democrats  are  asked  to  permit  the  white 
citizens  of  this  State  to  express  their  opinion  in  regard 
to  re-instating  the  colored  man  where  our  Revolutionary 
sires  placed  him  under  the  Constitution.  Now,  gentle 
men,  "democrats"  as  you  call  yourselves,  you  who 
speak  so  flippantly  of  your  a loyalty,"  your  ulove  for 
the  Union"  and  your  "love  for  the  people  ;"  you  who 
are  generally  talking  right  and  voting  wrong,  we  ask 
you  to  come  forward  and  act  "  democratically,"  by  let 
ting  your  masters,  the  people,  speak. 

The  word  "white"  in  the  Constitution  cannot  be 
strictly  and  literally  construed.  The  opposition  express 
great  love  for  white  blood.  Will  they  let  a  mulatto 
vote  half  the  time,  a  quadroon  three-fourths,  and  an 
octoroon  seven-eighths  of  the  time  ?  If  not,  why  not  ? 


632  POLITICAL    AND    PERSONAL. 

Will  they  enslave  seven-eighths  of  a  white  man  because 
one-eighth  is  not  Caucasian  ?  Is  this  democratic  ?  Shall 
not  the  majority  seven  control  the  minority  one  ?  Out 
on  such  "democracy." 

But  a  Democratic  minority  committee  (of  two)  seem 
to  have  done  something  besides  study  ethnology. 
They  have  also  paid  great  attention  to  fine  arts,  and 
are  particularly  anxious  that  all  voters  shall  have  a 
"genius  for  the  arts."  I  would  like  to  ask  them  if  it 
has  always  been  political  practice  to  insist  that  every 
voter  in  the  great  "unwashed"  and  "unterrified"  of 
any  party  should  become  a  member  of  the  Academy 
of  Arts  before  he  votes  the  "regular"  ticket?  I 
thought  he  was  received  into  the  full  fellowship  of  a 
political  party  if  he  could  exhibit  sufficient  "inventive 
faculties  and  genius  for  the  arts,"  to  enable  him  to  paint 
a  black  eye.  Can  a  man  whose  "  genius  for  the  arts  " 
enables  him  to  strike  from  the  shoulder  scientifically, 
be  admitted  to  full  fellowship  in  a  political  party?  Is 
it  evident  that  the  political  artist  has  studied  the  old 
masters,  if  he  exhibits  his  genius  by  tapping  an  oppo 
nent's  head  with  a  shillelagh  ?  The  oldest  master  in  this 
school  of  art  was  Cain ;  and  so  canes  have  been  made 
to  play  their  part  in  politics,  at  the  polls  and  even  in 
the  United  States  Senate  Chamber. 

"Is  genius  for  the  arts  and  those  occupations  requir 
ing  intellect  and  wisdom"  sufficiently  exemplified  in 
adroitly  stuffing  ballot  boxes,  forging  soldiers'  votes,  and 
copying  a  directory,  as  has  been  done,  as  the  return 
list  of  votes?  Is  the  "inventive  faculty  "of  "voting 
early  and  often,"  a  passport  to  political  brotherhood? 
Is  it  satisfactory  evidence  of  "artistic"  genius,  to  head 


POLITICAL    AND    PERSONAL.  (J33 

a  mob  ?  and  a  mob  which  is  led  and  guided  by  political 
passion,  as  numerous  instances  in  our  history  prove,  is 
the  worst  of  mobs.  Is  it  evidence  of  "high  art"  to 
lynch  a  man  by  hanging  him  to  the  nearest  tree  or  lamp 
post?  Is  a  " whiskey  scrimmage"  one  of  the  lost  arts 
restored?  We  all  know  how  the  "artists"  of  both  po 
litical  parties  are  prone  to  embellish  elections  and  to 
enhance  the  excitements  of  political  campaigns  by  in 
citing  riots,  and  the  frequency  with  which  these  disgrace 
ful  outbreaks  have  occurred  of  late,  especially  in  some 
of  the  populous  cities,  is  cause  for  just  alarm.  It  is 
dangerous  "art." 

Mr.  Speaker :  I  repeat  that  I  am  a  friend  to  the 
Irishman.  I  have  travelled  through  his  native  country 
and  have  seen  how  he  is  oppressed.  I  have  listened 
to  the  eloquent  and  patriotic  appeals  of  Daniel  O'Con- 
nell,  in  Conciliation  Hall,  in  Dublin,  and  I  have 
gladly  contributed  to  his  fund  for  ameliorating  the 
condition  of  his  countrymen.  I  rejoice  to  see  them 
rushing  to  this  land  of  liberty  and  independence  ;  and 
it  is  because  I  am  their  friend  that  I  denounce  the 
demagogues  who  attempt  to  blind  and  mislead  them  to 
vote  in  the  interests  of  any  party  against  the  interests 
of  humanity,  and  the  principles  of  true  democracy. 
My  neighbors  will  testify  that  at  mid-winter  I  employ 
Irishmen  by  the  hundred  to  do  work  that  is  not  abso 
lutely  necessary,  in  order  to  help  them  support  their 
families. 

After  hearing  the  minority  report  last  week,  I  began 
to  feel  that  I  might  be  disfranchised,  for  I  have  no  great 
degree  of  "  genius  for  the  arts;"  I  felt,  therefore,  that  I 
must  get  "posted"  on  that  subject  as  soon  as  possible. 
I  at  once  sauntered  into  the  Senate  Chamber  to  look  at 


634  POLITICAL   AND    PERSONAL. 

the  paintings;  there  I  saw  portraits  of  great  men,  and 
I  saw  two  empty  frames  from  which  the  pictures  had 
been  removed.  These  missing  paintings,  I  was  told, 
were  portraits  of  two  ex-Governors  of  the  State,  whose 
position  on  political  affairs  was  obnoxious  to  the  domi 
nant  party  in  the  Legislature ;  and  especially  obnoxious 
were  the  supposed  sentiments  of  these  governors  on  the 
war.  Therefore,  the  Senate  voted  to  remove  the  pic 
tures,  and  thus  proved  as  it  would  seem,  that  there  is 
an  intimate  connection  between  politics  and  art. 

I  have  repeatedly  travelled  through  every  State  in  the 
South,  and  I  assert,  what^every  intelligent  officer  and 
soldier  who  has  resided  thore  will  corroborate,  that  the 
slaves,  as  a  body,  are  more  intelligent  than  the  poor 
whites.  No  man  who  has  not  been  there  can  conceive 
to  what  a  low  depth  of  ignorance  the  poor  snuff-taking, 
clay-eating  whites  of  some  portion  of  the  South  have 
descended.  I  trust  the  day^is  not  far  distant  when 
the  "  common  school "  shall  throw  its  illuminating  rays 
through  this  Egyptian  pall. 

I  have  known  slave  mechanics  to  be  sold  for  $3,000 
and  even  $5,000  each,  and  others  could  not  be  bought 
at  all ;  and  I  have  seen  intelligent  slaves  acting  as 
stewards  for  their  masters,  travelling  every  year  to  New 
Orleans,  Nashville,  and  even  to  Cincinnati,  to  dispose  of 
their  master's  crops.  The  free  colored  citizens  of  Ope- 
lousas,  St.  Martinsville,  and  all  the  Attakapas  country 
in  Louisiana,  are  as  respectable  and  intelligent  as  an 
ordinary  community  of  whites.  They  speak  the  French 
and  English  languages,  educate  their  children  in  music, 
and  "  the  arts  "  and  they  pay  their  taxes  on  more  than 
fifteen  millions  of  dollars. 

Gentlemen    of  the    opposition,    I     beseech   you    to 


POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL.  635 

remember  that  our  state  and  our  country  ask  from  us 
something  more  than  party  tactics.  It  is  absolutely 
necessary  that  the  loyal  blacks  at  the  South  should  vote 
in  order  to  save  the  loyal  whites.  Let  Connecticut, 
without  regard  to  party,  set  them  an  example  that  shall 
influence  the  action  at  the  South,  and  prevent  a  new 
form  of  slavery  from  arising  there,  which  shall  make  all 
our  expenditure  of  blood  and  treasure  fruitless. 

But  some  persons  have  this  color  prejudice  simply 
by  the  force  of  education,  and  they  say,  "  Well,  a  nigger 
is  a  nigger,  and  he  can't  be  anything  else.  I  hate 
niggers,  anyhow."  Twenty  years  ago  I  crossed  the 
Atlantic,  and  among  our  passengers  was  an  Irish  judge, 
who  was  coming  out  to  Newfoundland  as  chief  justice. 
He  was  an  exceedingly  intelligent  and  polished  gentle 
man,  and  extremely  witty.  The  passengers  from  the 
New  England  States  and  those  from  the  South  got  into 
a  discussion  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  which  lasted 
three  days.  The  Southerners  were  finally  worsted,  and 
when  their  arguments  were  exhausted,  they  fell  back  on 
the  old  story,  by  saying  :  "  Oh  !  curse  a  nigger,  he  ain't 
half  human  anyhow ;  he  had  no  business  to  be  a  nigger, 
etc."  One  of  the  gentlemen  then  turned  to  the  Irish 
judge,  and  asked  his  opinion  of  the  merits  of  the 
controversy.  The  judge  replied : 

"  Gentlemen,  I  have  listened  with  much  edification 
to  your  arguments  pro  and  con.  during  three  days.  I 
was  quite  inclined  to  think  the  anti-slavery  gentlemen 
had  justice  and  right  on  their  side,  but  the  last  argu 
ment  from  the  South  has  changed  my  mind.  I  say  a 
4  nigger  has  no  business  to  be  a  nigger,'  and  we  should 
kick  him  out  of  society  and  trample  him  under  foot  — 
always  provided,  gentlemen,  you  prove  he  was  born 

29* 


636  POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL. 

black  at  his  own  particular  request.  If  he  had  no  word 
to  say  in  the  matter  of  course  he  is  blameless  for  his 
color,  and  is  entitled  to  the  same  respect  that  other  men 
are  who  properly  behave  themselves !  " 

Mr.  Speaker :  I  am  no  politician,  I  came  to  this  legis 
lature  simply  because  I  wished  to  have  the  honor  of 
voting  for  the  two  constitutional  amendments  —  one  for 
driving  slavery  entirely  out  of  our  country  ;  the  other  to 
allow  men  of  education  and  good  moral  character  to 
vote,  regardless  of  the  color  of  their  skins.  To  give  my 
voice  for  these  two  philanthropic,  just,  and  Christian 
measures  is  all  the  glory  I  ask  legislativewise.  I  care 
nothing  whatever  for  any  sect  or  party  under  heaven,  as 
such.  I  have  no  axes  to  grind,  no  logs  to  roll,  no 
favors  to  ask.  All  I  desire  is  to  do  what  is  right,  and 
prevent  what  is  wrong.  I  believe  in  no  "  expediency  " 
that  is  not  predicated  of  justice,  for  in  all  things  — poli 
tics,  as  well  as  everything  else  —  "I  know  that  honesty 
is  the  best  policy."  A  retributive  Providence  will  unerr 
ingly  and  speedily  search  out  all  wrong  doing;  hence, 
right  is  always  the  best  in  the  long  run.  Certainly,  in 
the  light  of  the  great  American  spirit  of  liberty  and 
equal  rights  which  is  sweeping  over  this  country,  and 
making  the  thrones  of  tyrants  totter  in  the  old  world, 
no  party  can  aiford  to  carry  slavery,  either  of  body  or  of 
mind.  Knock  off  your  manacles  and  let  the  man  go 
free.  Take  down  the  blinds  from  his  intellect,  and  let 
in  the  light  of  education  and  Christian  culture.  When 
this  is  done  you  have  developed  a  man.  Give  him  the 
responsibility  of  a  man  and  the  self-respect  of  a  man,  by 
granting  him  the  right  of  suffrage.  Let  universal  edu 
cation,  and  the  universal  franchise  be  the  motto  of  free 
America,  and  the  toiling  millions  of  Europe,  who  are 


POLITICAL  AND  PERSONAL.  60 7 

watching  you  with  such  intense  interest,  will  hail  us  as 
their  saviors.  Let  us  loyally  sink  "  party "  on  this 
question,  and  go  for  "  God  and  our  Country."  Let  no 
man  attach  an  eternal  stigma  to  his  name  by  shutting  his 
eyes  to  the  great  lesson  of  the  hour,  and  voting  against 
permitting  the  people  to  express  their  opinion  on  this? 
important  subject.  Let  us  unanimously  grant  this  truly 
democratic  boon.  Then,  when  our  laws  of  franchise 
are  settled  on  a  just  basis,  let  future  parties  divide  where 
they  honestly  differ  on  State  or  national  questions  which 
do  not  trench  upon  the  claims  of  manhood  or  American 
citizenship. 


CHAPTEli    XXXIX. 

THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  IN  IIU1N8. 

A  TERRIBLE  LOSS  — HOW  I  RECEIVED  THE  KEWS —BURNING  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
MUSEUM  —  DETAILS  OF  THE  DISASTER  —  FAITH  IN  HERRING'S  SAFES — BAKED 
AND  BOILED  WHALES  —  THE  NEW  YORK  TRIBUNE  ON  THE  DESTRUCTION  OF 
THE  MUSEUM — A  PUBLIC  CALAMITY  —  SYMPATHY  OF  THE  LEADING  EDITORS 

—  AMOUNT   OF  MY  LOSS  —  SMALL  INSURANCE  —  MY  PROPERTY  —  INTENTION  TO 
RETIRE   TO  PRIVATE   LIFE — HORACE   GREELEY  ADVISES  ME  TO   GO   A-FISHING 

—  BENEFIT  TO  THE    MUSEUM    EMPLOYEES    AT  THE  ACADEMY   OF  MUSIC  —  MY 
SPEECH  —  WHAT  THE  NEW  YORK    SUN    SAID    ABOUT   IT  —  THE    NEW    UP-TOAVN 

MUSEUM  —  OPENING  THE   ESTABLISHMENT  TO  THE  PUBLIC. 

ON  the  thirteenth  day  of  July,  1865,  I  was  speaking 
in  the  Connecticut  Legislature,  in  session  at  Hartford, 
against  the  railroad  schemes,  when  a  telegram  was 
handed  to  me  from  my  son-in-law,  S.  H.  Hurd,  my  assist 
ant  manager  in  New  York,  stating  that  the  American 
Museum  was  in  flames  and  that  its  total  destruction  was 
certain.  I  glanced  over  the  despatch,  folded  it,  laid  it 
on  my  desk,  and  calmly  continued  my  speech  as  if  noth 
ing  had  happened.  At  the  conclusion  of  my  remarks, 
the  bill  I  had  been  advocating  was  carried,  and  the 
House  adjourned.  I  then  handed  the  telegram,  an 
nouncing  my  great  loss  in  New  York,  to  my  friend  and 
fellow-laborer,  Mr.  William  G.  Coe,  of  Winsted,  who 
immediately  communicated  the  intelligence  to  several 
members.  Warm  sympathizers  at  once  crowded  around 
me,  and  Mr.  Henry  B.  Harrison,  of  New  Haven,  my 
strongest  railroad  opponent,  pushing  forward,  seized  me 
by  the  hand,  and  said  : 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  IN  EUINS.  639 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  I  am  really  very  sorry  to  hear  oi 
your  great  misfortune." 

"  Sorry,"  I  replied,  "  why,  my  dear  sir,  I  shall  not 
have  time  to  be  '  sorry '  in  a  week  !  It  will  take  me  that 
length  of  time  before  I  can  get  over  laughing  at  having 
whipped  you  all  so  nicely  in  this  attempted  railroad  im 
position." 

The  Speaker  of  the  House  and  my  fellow-members  all 
testified  that  neither  my  face  nor  my  manner  betrayed 
the  slightest  intimation  when  I  read  the  telegram  that  I 
had  received  unpleasant  intelligence.  One  of  the  local 
journals,  speaking  of  this  incident,  two  days  after  the 
fire,  said : 

In  the  midst  of  Mr.  Barnum's  'speech  a  telegram  was  handed  to  him,  an 
nouncing  that  his  Museum  was  in  flames,  with  no  hope  of  saving  any  portion  of 
his  cherished  establishment.  Without  the  slightest  evidence  of  agitation,  he  laid 
the  telegram  upon  his  desk  and  finished  his  speech.  When  he  went  next  day  to 
New  York  he  saw  only  a  pile  of  black,  smouldering  ruins. 

Immediately  after  adjournment  that  afternoon,  I  took 
the  cars  for  Bridgeport,  spending  the  night  quietly  at 
home,  and  the  following  morning  I  went  to  New  York 
to  see  the  ruins  of  my  Museum,  and  to  learn  the  full 
extent  of  the  disaster.  When  I  arrived  at  the  scene  of 
the  calamity  and  saw  nothing  but  the  smouldering  debris 
of  what  a  few  hours  before  was  the  American  Museum, 
the  sight  was  sad  indeed.  Here  were  destroyed,  almost 
in  a  breath,  the  accumulated  results  of  many  years  of 
incessant  toil,  my  own  and  my  predecessors,  in  gather 
ing  from  every  quarter  of  the  globe  myriads  of  curious 
productions  of  nature  and  art  —  an  assemblage  of  rari 
ties  which  a  half  million  of  dollars  could  not  restore, 
and  a  quarter  of  a  century  could  not  collect.  In  addi 
tion  to  these  there  were  many  Revolutionary  relics  and 


640  THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  IN  EUINS. 

other  links  in  our  national  history  which  never  could  be 
duplicated.  Not  a  thousand  dollars  worth  of  the  en 
tire  property  was  saved  ;  the  destruction  was  complete  ; 
the  loss  was  irreparable,  and  the  total  amount  of  insur 
ance  was  but  forty  thousand  dollars. 

The  fire  probably  originated  in  the  engine  room, 
where  steam  was  constantly  kept  up  to  pump  fresh  air 
into  the  water  of  the  aquaria  and  to  propel  the  im 
mense  fans  for  cooling  the  atmosphere  of  the  halls. 
The  flames  burst  through  into  the  manager's  office,  and 
rapidly  extended  to  all  parts  of  the  building.  The  desk 
of  my  son-in-law,  Mr.  Hurd,  was  already  in  flames 
when  he  opened  it  and  took  out  several  thousands  of 
dollars  in  bank  bills,  and  reflecting  upon  the  risk  he 
might  incur  in  carrying  it  through  the  surging  crowd 
outside,  with  remarkable  presence  of  mind,  and  faith  in 
Herring's  safes,  he  hastily  thrust  this  money  with  the 
account  books  into  my  safe,  which  already  held  many 
thousand  dollars,  and  locking  the  door,  left  the  whole 
with  entire  confidence  to  the  flames.  Buttoning  his 
coat,  he  safely  made  his  way  out  of  the  burning  build 
ing  and  through  the  excited  throng  in  the  streets. 

Mr.  Hurd's  faith  in  Herring  was  well  founded ;  for, 
when  the  safe  was  recovered  from  the  ruins,  its  contents 
were  discovered  to  be  in  perfect  preservation.  Of  the 
curiosities  and  other  contents  of  the  establishment" 
nothing  was  saved.  When  I  first  gazed  upon  the  ruins, 
I  saw,  down  in  the  depths,  the  remains  of  the  two  white 
whales,  which  had  arrived  only  a  week  before,  and 
which  were  swimming  in  the  great  glass  tank  when  the 
fire  broke  out.  I  had  never  seen  these  monsters  alive, 
but  the  half-consumed  carcasses  presented  to  my  mind 
the  worst  specimens  of  baked  and  boiled  fish  that  could 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  IN  RUINS.  641 

be  conceived  of.  All  the  New  York  newspapers  made 
a  great  "  sensation  "  of  the  fire,  and  the  full  particu 
lars  were  copied  in  journals  throughout  the  country. 
A  facetious  reporter,  Mr.  Nathan  D.  Urner,  of  the 
Tribune^  wrote  the  following  amusing  account,  which 
appeared  in  that  journal,  July  14,  1865,  and  was  very 
generally  quoted  from  and  copied  by  provincial  papers 
many  of  whose  readers  accepted  every  line  of  the 
glowing  narrative  as  "  gospel  truth  " : 

Soon  after  the  breaking  out  of  the  conflagration,  a  number  of  strange  and 
terrible  howls  and  moans  proceeding  from  the  large  apartment  in  the  third  floor 
of  the  Museum,  corner  of  Ann  Street  and  Broadway,  startled  the  throngs  who 
had  collected  in  front  of  the  burning  building,  and  who  were  at  first  under  the 
impression  that  the  sounds  must  proceed  from  human  beings  unable  to  effect 
their  escape.  Their  anxiety  was  somewhat  relieved  on  this  score,  but  their  con 
sternation  was  by  no  means  decreased  upon  learning  that  the  room  in  question 
was  the  principal  chamber  of  the  menagerie  connected  with  the  Museum,  and 
that  there  was  imminent  danger  of  the  release  of  the  animals  there  confined,  by 
the  action  of  the  flames.  Our  reporter  fortunately  occupied  a  room  on  the  north 
corner  of  Ami  Street  and  Broadway,  the  windows  of  which  looked  immediately 
into  this  apartment;  and  no  sooner  was  he  apprised  of  the  fire  than  he  repaired 
there,  confident  of  finding  items  in  abundance.  Luckily  the  windows  of  the 
Museum  were  unclosed,  and  he  had  a  perfect  view  of  almost  the  entire  interior 
of  the  apartment.  The  following  is  his  statement  of  what  followed,  in  his  own 
language : 

"  Protecting  myself  from  the  intense  heat  as  well  as  I  could,  by  taking  th« 
mattrass  from  the  bed  and  erecting  it  as  a  bulwark  before  the  window,  with  only 
enough  space  reserved  on  the  top  so  as  to  look  out,  I  anxiously  observed  the  ani 
mals  in  the  opposite  room.  Immediately  opposite  the  window  through  which  I 
gazed,  was  a  lar^ge  cage  containing  a  lion  and  lioness.  To  the  right  hand  was  the 
three  storied  cage,  containing  monkeys  at  the  top,  two  kangaroos  in  the  second 
story,  and  a  happy  family  of  cats,  rats,  adders,  rabbits,  etc. ,  in  the  lower  apart 
ment.  To  the  left  of  the  lion's  cage  was  the  tank  containing  the  two  vast  alliga 
tors,  and  still  further  to  the  left,  partially  hidden  from  my  sight  was  the  grand 
tank  containing  the  great  white  whale,  which  has  created  such  a  furore  in  our 
sight-seeing  midst  for  the  past  few  weeks.  Upon  the  floor  were  caged  the  boa- 
constrictor,  anacondas  and  rattlesnakes,  whose  heads  would  now  and  then  rise 
menacingly  through  the  top  of  the  cage.  In  the  extreme  right  was  the  cage, 
entirely  shut  from  my  view  at  first,  containing  the  Bengal  tiger  and  the  Polar 
bear,  whose  terrific  growls  could  be  distinctly  heard  from  behind  the  partition. 
With  a  simultaneous  bound  the  lion  and  his  njate,  sprang  against  the  bars, 
which  gave  way  and  came  down  with  a  great  crash,  releasing  the  beasts,  which 
for  a  moment,  apparently  amazed  at  their  sudden  liberty,  stood  in  the  middle  of 
the  floor  lashing  their  sides  with  their  tails  and  roaring  dolefully. 

Almost  at  the  same  moment  the  upper  part  of  the  three  storied  cage,  con 
sumed  by  the  flames,  fell  forward,  letting  the  rods  drop  to  the  floor,  and  many 


642  THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  IN  RUINS. 

other  animals  were  set  free.  Just  at  this  time  the  door  fell  through  and  the 
flames  and  smoke  rolled  in  like  a  whirlwind  from  the  Hadean  river  Cocytus.  A 
horrible  scene  in  the  right  hand  corner  of  the  room,  a  yell  of  indescribable  agony, 
and  a  crashing,  grating  sound,  indicated  that  the  tiger  and  Polar  bear  were 
stirred  up  to  the  highest  pitch  of  excitement.  Then  there  came  a  great  crash  as 
of  the  giving  way  of  the  bars  of  their  cage.  The  flames  and  smoke  momentarily 
rolled  back,  and  for  a  few  seconds  the  interior  of  the  room  was  visible  in  the  lurid 
light  of  the  flames,  which  revealed  the  tiger  and  the  lion,  locked  together  in 
close  combat. 

The  monkeys  were  perched  around  the  windows,  shivering  with  dread  and 
afraid  to  jump  out.  The  snakes  were  writhing  about,  crippled  and  blistered  by 
the  heat,  darting  out  their  forked  tongues,  and  expressing  their  rage  and  fear  in 
the  most  sibilant  of  hisses.  The  "  Happy  Family  "  were  experiencing  an  amount 
of  beatitude  which  was  evidently  too  cordial  for  philosophical  enjoyment.  A 
long  tongue  of  flame  had  crept  under  the  cage,  completely  singing  every  hair 
from  the  cat's  body.  The  felicitous  adder  was  slowly  burning  in  two  and  busily 
engaged  in  impregnating  his  organic  system  with  his  own  venom.  The  joyful  rat 
had  lost  his  tail  by  a  falling  bar  of  iron  ;  and  the  beatific  rabbit,  perforated  by  a 
red  hot  nail,  looked  as  if  nothing  would  be  more  grateful  than  a  cool  corner  in 
some  Esquimaux  farmyard.  The  members  of  the  delectated  convocation  were 
all  huddled  together  in  the  bottom  of  their  cage,  which  suddenly  gave  way,  pre 
cipitating  them  out  of  view  in  the  depths  below,  which  by  this  time  were  also 
blazing  like  the  fabled  Tophet. 

At  this  moment  the  flames  rolled  again  into  the  room  and  then  again  retired. 
The  whale  and  alligators  were  by  this  time  suffering  dreadful  torments.  The 
water  in  which  they  swam  was  literally  boiling.  The  alligators  dashed  fiercely 
about  endeavoring  to  escape,  and  opening  and  shutting  their  great  jaws  in  fero 
cious  torture ;  but  the  poor  whale,  almost  boiled,  with  great  ulcers  bursting  from 
his  blubbery  sides,  could  only 'feebly  swim  about,  though  blowing  excessively, 
and  every  now  and  then  sending  up  great  fountains  of  spray.  At  length,  crack 
went  the  glass  sides  of  the  great  cases,  and  whale  and  alligators  rolled  out  on  the 
floor  with  the  rushing  and  steaming  water.  The  whale  died  easily,  having  been 
pretty  well  used  up  before.  A  few  great  gasps  and  a  convulsive  flap  or  two  of 
his  mighty  flukes  were  his  expiring  spasm.  One  of  the  alligators  was  killed 
almost  immediately  by  falling  across  a  great  fragment  of  shattered  glass,  which 
cut  open  his  stomach  and  let  out  the  greater  part  of  his  entrails  to  the  light  of 
day.  The  remaining  alligator  became  involved  in  a  controversy  with  an  ana 
conda,  and  joined  the  melee  in  the  centre  of  the  flaming  apartment. 

A  number  of  birds  which  were  caged  in  the  upper  part  of  the  building  were 
set  free  by  some  charitably  inclined  person  at  the  first  alarm  of  fire  and  at  inter 
vals  they  flew  out.  There  were  many  valuable  tropical  birds,  parrots,  cockatoos, 
mocking  birds,  humming  birds,  etc.,  as  well  as  some  vultures  and  eagles  and  one 
condor.  Great  excitement  existed  among  the  swaying  crowds  in  the  streets 
below  as  they  took  wing.  There  were  confined  in  the  same  room  a  few  serpents 
Avhich  also  obtained  their  liberty;  and  soon  after  the  rising  and  devouring  flames 
began  to  enwrap  the  entire  building,  a  splendid  and  emblematic  sight  was  pre 
sented  to  the  wondering  and  upgazing  throngs.  Bursting  through  the  central 
casement,  with  flap  of  wings  and  lashing  coils,  appeared  an  eagle  and  a  serpent 
wreathed  in  fight.  For  a  moment  they  hung  poised  in  mid  air,  presenting  a  novel 
and  terrible  conflict.  It  was  the  earth  and  air  (or  their  respective  representatives) 
at  war  for  mastery ;  the  base  and  the  lofty,  the  groveller  and  the  soarer,  were 
engaged  in  deadly  battle.  At  length  the  flat  head  of  the  serpent  sank;  his  writh- 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  IN  RUINS.  643 

ing  sinuous  form  grew  still;  and,  wafted  upward  by  the  cheers  of  the  gazing  multi 
tude,  the  eagle,  with  a  scream  of  triumph,  and  bearing  his  prey  in  his  iron  talons, 
soared  toward  the  sun.  Several  monkeys  escaped  from  the  burning  building  to 
the  neighboring  roofs  and  streets;  and  considerable  excitement  was  caused  by  the 
attempts  to  secure  them.  One  of  the  most  amusing  incidents  in  this  respect  was 
in  connection  with  Mr.  James  Gordon  Bennett.  The  veteran  editor  of  the  Herald 
was  sitting  in  his  private  office  with  his  back  to  the  open  window,  calmly  discuss 
ing  with  a  friend  the  chances  that  the  Herald  establishment  would  escape  the 
conflagration,  which  at  that  time  was  threateningly  advancing  up  Ann  Street, 
toward  Nassau  Street.  In  the  course  of  his  conversation  Mr.  Bennett  observed ; 
"  Although  I  have  usually  had  good  luck  in  cases  of  fire,  they  say  that  the  devil  is 
ever  at  one's  shoulder,  and  "  —  Here  an  exclamation  from  his  friend  interrupted 
him,  and  turning  quickly  he  was  considerably  taken  aback  at  seeing  the  devil 
himself,  or  something  like  him,  at  his  very  shoulder  as  he  spoke.  Recovering  his 
equanimity,  with  the  ease  and  suavity  which  is  usual  with  him  in  all  company, 
Mr.  Bennett  was  about  to  address  the  intruder  when  he  perceived  that  what  he 
had  taken  for  the  gentleman  in  black  was  nothing  more  than  a  frightened 
$>rang-outang.  The  poor  creature,  but  recently  released  from  captivity,  and 
doubtless  thinking  that  he  might  fill  some  vacancy  in  the  editorial  corps  of  the 
paper  in  question,  had  descended  by  the  water-pipe  and  instinctively  taken  refuge 
in  the  inner  sanctum  of  the  establishment.  Although  the  editor  —  perhaps  from 
the  fact  that  he  saw  nothing  peculiarly  strange  in  the  visitation  —  soon  regained 
his  composure,  it  was  far  otherwise  with  his  friend,  who  immediately  gave  ther 
alarm.  Mr.  Hudson  rushed  in  and  boldly  attacked  the  monkey,  grasping  him 
by  the  throat.  The  book-editor  next  came  in,  obtaining  a  clutch  upon  the  brute 
by  the  ears ;  the  musical  critic  followed,  and  seized  the  tail  with  both  hands,  and 
a  number  of  reporters,  armed  with  inkstands  and  sharpened  pencils,  caine  next, 
followed  by  a  dozen  policemen  with  brandished  clubs;  at  the  same  time,  the 
engineer  in  the  basement  received  the  preconcerted  signal  and  got  ready  his  hose> 
wherewith  to  pour  boiling  hot  water  upon  the  heads  of  those  in  the  streets,  in 
case  it  should  prove  a  regular  systematized  attack  by  gorillas,  Brazil  apes,  and 
chimpanzees.  Opposed  to  this  formidable  combination,  the  rash  intruder  fared 
badly,  and  was  soon  in  durance  vile.  Numerous  other  incidents  of  a  similar 
kind  occurred ;  but  some  of  the  most  amusing  were  in  connection  with  the  wax 
figures. 

Upon  the  same  impulse  which  prompts  men  in  time  of  fire  to  fling  valuable 
looking-glasses  out  of  three-story  windows  and  at  the  same  time  tenderly  to 
lower  down  feather  beds,  —  soon  after  the  Museum  took  fire,  a  number  of  sturdy 
firemen  rushed  into  the  building  to  carry  out  the  wax  figures.  There  were  thou 
sands  of  valuable  articles  which  might  have  been  saved,  if  there  had  been  less  of 
solicitude  displayed  for  the  miserable  effigies  which  are  usually  exhibited  under 
the  appellation  of  "  wax  figures."  As  it  was,  a  dozen  firemen  rushed  into  the 
apartment  where  the  figures  were  kept,  amid  a  multitude  of  crawling  snakes, 
chattering  monkeys  and  escaped  paroquets.  The  "  Dying  Brigand"  was  uncere 
moniously  throttled  and  dragged  toward  the  door  ;  liberties  were  taken  with  tho 
tearful  "  Senorita,"  who  has  so  long  knelt  and  so  constantly  wagged  her  doll' s 
head  at  his  side  ;  the  mules  of  the  other  bandits  were  upset,  and  they  themselves 
roughly  seized.  The  full  length  statue  of  P.  T.  Barnum  fell  down  of  its  own 
accord,  as  if  disgusted  with  the  whole  affair.  A  red-shirted  fireman  seized  with 
either  hand  Franklin  Pierce  and  James  Buchanan  by  their  coat-collars,  tucked 
the  Prince  Imperial  of  France  under  one  arm,  and  the  Veiled  Murderess  under 
the  other,  and  coolly  departed  for  the  street.  Two  ragged  boys  quarrelled  over 


B44  THE  AMEKIOAN  MUSEUM  IN  RUINS, 

the  Tom  Thumb,  but  at  length  settled  the  controversy  by  one  of  them  taking  the 
head,  the  other  satisfying  himself  with  the  legs  below  the  knees.  They  evidently 
had  Tom  under  their  thumbs,  and  intended  to  keep  him  down.  While  a  curiosity- 
seeking  policeman  was  garroting  Benjamin  Franklin,  with  the  idea  of  abducting 
him,  a  small  monkey,  flung  from  the  window-sill  by  the  strong  hand  of  an  impa 
tient  fireman,  made  a  straight  dive,  hitting  Poor  Richard  just  below  the  waist 
coat,  and  passing  through  his  stomach,  as  the  Harlequin  in  the  "  Green-Mon 
ster  "  pantomime  ever  pierced  the  picture  with  the  slit  in  it,  which  always  hangs 
so  conveniently  low  and  near.  Patrick  Henry  had  his  teeth  knocked  out  by  a 
flying  missile,  and  in  carrying  Daniel  Lambert  down  stairs,  he  was  found  to  be 
so  large  that  they  had  to  break  off  his  head  in  order  to  get  him  through  the  door. 
At  length  the  heat  became  intense,  the  "  riggers  "  began  to  perspire  freely,  and 
the  swiftly  approaching  flames  compelled  all  hands  to  desist  from  any  further  at 
tempt  at  rescue.  Throwing  a  parting  glance  behind  as  we  passed  down  the  stairs 
we  saw  the  remaining  dignitaries  in  a  strange  plight.  Some  one  had  stuck  a 
cigar  in  General  Washington's  mouth,  and  thus,  with  his  chapeau  crushed  down 
over  his  eyes  and  his  head  reclining  upon  the  ample  lap  of  Moll  Pitcher,  the  Fa 
ther  of  his  Country  led  the  van  of  as  sorry  a  band  of  patriots  as  not  often  comes 
within  one's  experience  to  see.  General  Marion  was  playing  a  dummy  game  of 
poker  with  General  Lafayette  ;  Governor  Morris  was  having  a  set-to  with  Nathan 
Lane,  and  James  Madison  was  executing  a  Dutch  polka  with  Madam  Roland  on 
one  arm  and  Lucretia  Borgia  on  the  other.  The  next  moment  the  advancing 
.  flames  compelled  us  to  retire. 

We  believe  that  all  the  living  curiosities  were  saved;  but  the  giant  girl,  Anna 
Swan,  was  only  rescued  with  the  utmost  difficulty.  There  was  not  a  door  through 
which  ber  bulky  frame  could  obtain  a  passage.  It  was  likewise  feared  that  the 
stairs  would  break  down,  even  if  she  should  reach  them.  Her  best  friend,  the  living 
skeleton,  stood  by  her  as  long  as  he  dared,  but  then  deserted  her,  while  as  the 
heat  grew  in  intensity,  the  perspiration  rolled  from  her  face  in  little  brooks  and 
rivulets,  which  pattered  musically  upon  the  floor.  At  length,  as  a  last  resort, 
the  employees  of  the  place  procured  a  lofty  derrick  which  fortunately  happened  to 
be  standing  near,  and  erected  it  alongside  the  Museum.  A  portion  of  the  wall 
was  then  broken  off  on  each  side  of  the  window,  the  strong  tackle  was  got  in 
readiness,  the  tall  woman  was  made  fast  to  one  end  and  swung  over  the  heads  of 
the  people  in  the  street,  with  eighteen  men  grasping  the  other  extremity  of  the 
line,  and  lowered  down  from  the  third  story,  amid  enthusiastic  applause.  A  car 
riage  of  extraordinary  capacity  was  in  readiness,*  and  entering  this,  the  young 
lady  was  driven  away  to  a  hotel. 

When  the  surviving  serpents,  that  were  released  by  the  partial  burning  of  the 
box  in  which  they  were  contained,  crept  along  on  the  floor  to  the  balcony  of  the 
Museum  and  dropped  on  the  sidewalk,  the  crowd,  siezcd  with  St.  Patrick's  aver 
sion  to  the  reptiles,  fled  with  such  precipitate  haste  that  they  knocked  each  other 
down  and  trampled  on  one  another  in  the  most  recldess  and  damaging  manner. 

Hats  were  lost,  coats  torn,  boots  burst  and  pantaloons  dropped  with  magni 
ficent  miscellaneousness,  and  dozens  of  those  who  rose  from  the  miry  streets  into 
which  they  had  been  thrown,  looked  like  the  disembodied  spirits  of  a  mud  bank. 
The  snakes  crawled  on  the  sidewalk  and  into  Broadway,  where  some  of  them  died 
from  injuries  received,  and  others  were  despatched  by  the  excited  populace.  Sev 
eral  of  the  serpents  of  the  copper-head  species  escaped  the  fury  of  the  tumul 
tuous  masses,  and  true  to  their  instincts,  sought  shelter  in  the  World  and  Newt 
offices,  A  large  black  bear  escaped  from  the  burning  Museum  into  Ann  Street^ 
and  then  made  his  way  into  Nassau,  and  down  that  thoroughfare  into  Wall,  where 


THE  AMERICAN   MUSEUM  IN  RUINS.  645 

his  appearance  caused  a  sensation.  Some  superstitious  persons  believed  him  the 
spirit  of  a  departed  Ursa  Major,  and  others  of  his  fraternity  welcomed  the  animal 
as  a  favorable  omen.  The  bear  walked  quietly  along  to  the  Custom  House,  as-* 
cended  the  steps  of  the  building,  and  became  bewildered,  as  many  a  biped  bear 
has  done  before  him.  He  seemed  to  lose  his  sense  of  vision,  and  no  doubt,  en 
deavoring  to  operate  for  a  fall,  walked  over  the  side  of  the  steps  and  broke  his 
neck.  He  succeeded  in  his  object,  but  it  cost  him  dearly.  The  appearance  of 
Bruin  in  the  street  sensibly  affected  the  stock  market,  and  shares  fell  rapidly; 
but  when  he  lost  his  life  in  the  careless  manner  we  have  described,  shares  ad 
vanced  again,  and  the  Bulls  triumphed  once  more. 

Broadway  and  its  crossings  have  not  witnessed  a  denser  throng  for  months 
than  assembled  at  the  fire  yesterday.  Barnurn's  was  always  popular,  but  it  never 
drew  so  vast  a  crowd  before.  There  must  have  been  forty  thousand  people  on 
Broadway,  between  Maiden  Lane  and  Chambers  Street,  and  a  great  portion  stayed 
there  until  dusk.  So  great  was  the  concourse  of  people  that  it  was  with  difficulty 
pedestrians  or  vehicles  could  pass. 

After  the  fire  several  high-art  epicures  grouping  among  the  ruins  found  choice 
morsels  of  boiled  whale,  roasted  kangaroo  and  fricasseed  crocodile,  which,  it  is 
said,  they  relished ;  though  the  many  would  have  failed  to  appreciate  such  rare 
edibles.  Probably,  the  recherche  epicures  will  declare  the  only  true  way  to  pre 
pare  those  meats  is  to  cook  them  in  a  museum  wrapped  in  flames,  in  the  same 
manner  that  the  Chinese,  according  to  Charles  Lamb,  first  discovered  roast  pig 
in  a  burning  house,  and  ever  afterward  set  a  house  on  fire  with  a  pig  inside,  when 
they  wanted  that  particular  food. 

All  the  New  York  journals,  and  many  more  in  other 
cities,  editorially  expressed  their  sympathy  with  my 
misfortune,  and  their  sense  of  the  loss  the  community 
had  sustained  in  the  destruction  of  the  American 
Museum.  The  following  editorial  is  from  the  New 
York  Tribune,  of  July  14,  1865  : 

The  destruction  of  no  building  in  this  city  could  have  caused  so  much  excite 
ment  and  so  much  regret  as  that  of  Barnum's  Museum.  The  collection  of  curi 
osities  was  very  large,  and  though  many  of  them  may  not  have  had  much  intrin 
sic  or  memorial  value,  a  considerable,  portion  was  certainly  of  great  worth  for  any 
Museum.  But  aside  from  this,  pleasant  memories  clustered  about  the  place, 
which  for  so  many  years  has  been  the  chief  resort  for  amusement  to  the  common 
people  who  cannot  often  afford  to  treat  themselves  to  a  night  at  the  more  expen 
sive  theatres,  while  to  the  children  of  the  city,  Barnum's  has  been  a  fountain  oi 
delight,  ever  offering  new  attractions  as  captivating  and  as  implicitly  believed  in 
as  the  Arabian  Nights  Entertainments;  Theatre,  Menagerie  and  Museum,  it 
amused,  instructed,  and  astonished.  If  its  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of 
annual  visitors  were  bewildered  sometimes  with  a  Woolly  Horse,  a  What  is  It  ? 
or  a  Mermaid,  they  found  repose  and  certainty  in  a  Giraffe,  a  Whale  or  a  Rhino 
ceros.  If  wax  effigies  of  pirates  and  murderers  made  them  shudder  lest  those 
dreadful  figures  should  start  out  of  their  glass  cases  and  repeat  their  horric1 
deeds,  they  were  reassured  by  the  presence  of  the  mildest  and  most  amiable  oi 


646  THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  IN  EUINS. 

giants,  and  the  fattest  of  mortal  women,  whose  dead  weight  alone  could  crush  all 
the  wax  figures  into  their  original  cakes.  It  was  a  source  of  unfailing  interest  to 
all  country  visitors,  and  New  York  to  many  of  them  was  only  the  place  that  held 
Barnum's  Museum.  It  was  the  first  thing  —  often  the  only  thing  —  they  visited 
when  they  came  among  us,  and  nothing  that  could  have  been  contrived,  out  of 
our  present  resources,  could  have  offered  so  many  attractions  unless  some  more 
ingenious  showman  had  undertaken  to  add  to  Barnum's  collection  of  waxen 
criminals  by  putting  in  a  cage  the  live  Boards  of  the  Common  Council.  We 
mourn  its  loss,  but  not  as  without  consolation.  Barnum's  Museum  is  gone,  but 
Barnum  himself,  happily,  did  not  share  the  fate  of  his  rattlesnakes  and  his,  at 
least,  most  un-"  happy  Family."  There  are  fishes  in  the  seas  and  beasts  in  the 
forest;  birds  still  fly  in  the  air  and  strange  creatures  still  roam  in  the  deserts  ; 
giants  and  pigmies  still  wander  up  and  down  the  earth ;  the  oldest  man,  the  fat- 
est  woman,  and  the  smallest  baby  are  still  living,  and  Barnum  will  find  them. 

Or  even  if  none  of  these  things  or  creatures  existed,  we  could  trust  to  Barnum 
to  make  them  out  of  hand.  The  Museum,  then,  is  only  a  temporary  loss,  and 
much  as  we  sympathize  with  the  proprietor,  the  public  may  trust  to  his  well- 
known  ability  and  energy  to  soon  renew  a  place  of  amusement  which  was  a 
source  of  so  much  innocent  pleasure,  and  had  in  it  so  many  elements  of  solid 
excellence. 

As  already  stated,  my  insurance  was  but  $40,000, 
while  the  collection,  at  the  lowest  estimate,  was  worth 
$400,000,  and  as  my  premium  was  five  per  cent  I  had 
paid  the  insurance  companies  more  than  they  returned 
to  me.  When  the  fire  occurred,  my  summer  pantomime 
season  had  just  begun  and  the  Museum  was  doing  an 
immensely  profitable  business.  My  first  impulse,  after 
reckoning  up  my  losses,  was  to  retire  from  active  life 
and  from  all  business  occupation  beyond  what  my  large 
real  estate  interests  in  Bridgeport,  and  my  property  in 
New  York  would  compel.  I  felt  that  I  had  still  a  com 
petence  and  that  after  a  most  active  and  busy  life,  at 
fifty-five  years,  I  was  entitled  to  retirement,  to  compara 
tive  rest  for  the  remainder  of  my  days.  I  called  on  my 
old  friend,  the  editor  of  the  Tribune ,  for  advice  on  the 
subject. 

"  Accept  this  fire  as  a  notice  to  quit,  and  go  a-fish- 
ing,"  said  Mr.  Greeley. 

"  A-fishing  !  "  I  exclaimed. 

f<  Yes,  a  fishing;  I  haye  been  wanting  to  go  a-fishing 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  IN  RUINS.  647 

for  thirty  years,  and  have  not  yet  found  time  to  do  so," 
replied  Mr.  Greeley. 

I  really  felt  that  his  advice  was  good  and  wise,  and 
had  I  consulted  only  my  own  ease  and  interest  I  should 
have  acted  upon  it.  But,  two  considerations  moved  me 
to  pause :  First,  one  hundred  and  fifty  employees,  many 
of  whom  depended  upon  their  exertions  for  their  daily 
bread,  were  thrown  out  of  work  at  a  season  when  it 
would  be  difficult  for  them  to  get  engagements  else 
where.  Second ;  I  felt  that  a  large  city  like  New  York 
needed  a  good  Museum,  and  that  my  experience  of  a 
quarter  of  a  century  in  that  direction,  afforded  extraor 
dinary  facilities  for  founding  another  establishment  of 
the  kind,  and  so  I  took  a  few  days  for  reflection. 

Meanwhile,  the  Museum  employees  were  tendered  a 
benefit  at  the  Academy  of  Music,  at  which  most  of  the 
dramatic  artists  in  the  city  volunteered  their  services.  I 
was  called  out,  and  made  some  off-hand  remarks  in 
which  I  stated  that  nothing  which  I  could  utter  in 
behalf  of  the  recipients  of  that  benefit,  could  plead  for 
them  half  so  eloquently  as  the  smoking  ruins  of  the 
building  where  they  had  so  long  earned  their  support 
by  their  efforts  to  gratify  the  public.  At  the  same  time 
I  announced  that,  moved  by  the  considerations  I  have 
mentioned,  I  had  concluded  to  establish  another  Mu 
seum,  and  that  in  order  to  give  present  occupation  to 
my  employees,  I  had  engaged  the  Winter  Garden  Thea 
tre  for  a  few  weeks,  and  I  hoped  to  open  a  new  estab 
lishment  of  my  own  in  the  ensuing  fall. 

The  New  York  Sun  commented  upon  the  few  remarks 
which  I  was  suddenly  and  quite  unexpectedly  called 
upon  to  make,  in  the  following  flattering  manner  : 

One  of  the  happiest  impromptu  oratorial  efforts  that  we  have  heard  for  some 
time,  was  that  made  by  Banmin  at  the  benefit  performance  given  for  his  em- 


648  THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  IN  RUINS. 

ployecs  on  Friday  afternoon.  If  a  stranger  wanted  to  satisfy  himself  how  the 
great  showman  had  managed  so  to  monopolize  the  ear  and  eye  of  the  public  dur 
ing  his  long  career,  he  could  not  have  had  a  better  opportunity  of  doing  so  than 
by  listening  to  this  address.  Every  word,  though  delivered  with  apparent  care 
lessness,  struck  a  key  note  in  the  hearts  of  his  listeners.  Simple,  forcible  and 
touching,  it  showed  how  thoroughly  this  extraordinary  man  comprehends  the 
character  of  his  countrymen,  and  how  easily  he  can  play  upon  their  feelings. 

Those  who  look  upon  Barnum  as  a  mere  charlatan,  have  really  no  knowledge 
of  him.  It  would  be  easy  to  demonstrate  that  the  qualities  that  have  placed  him 
in  his  present  position  of  notoriety  and  affluence  would,  in  another  pursuit,  have 
raised  him  to  far  greater  eminence.  In  his  breadth  of  views,  his  profound  knowl 
edge  of  mankind,  his  courage  under  reverses,  his  indomitable  perseverance,  his 
ready  eloquence  and  his  admirable  business  tact,  we  recognize  the  elements  that 
are  conducive  to  success  in  most  other  pursuits.  More  than  almost  any  other 
living  man,  Barnum  may  be  said  to  be  a  representative  type  of  the  American 
mind. 

I  very  soon  secured  by  lease  the  premises,  numbers 
535,  537  and  539  Broadway,  seventy-five  feet  front  and 
rear,  by  two  hundred  feet  deep,  and  known  as  the  Chi 
nese  Museum  buildings.  In  less  than  four  months,  I 
succeeded  in  converting  this  building  into  a  commodious 
Museum  and  lecture  room,  and  meanwhile  I  sent  agents 
through  America  and  Europe  to  purchase  curiosities. 
Besides  hundreds  of  small  collections,  I  bought  up 
several  entire  museums,  and  with  many  living  curiosi 
ties  and  my  old  company  of  actors  and  actresses,  I 
opened  to  the  public,  November  13,  1865,  "  Barnum's 
New  American  Museum,"  thus  beginning  a  new  chap- 
ter  in  my  career  as  a  manager  and  showman. 


CHAPTER    XL. 

MY  WAR  ON  THE  RAILROADS. 

SCENES  IN  THE  LEGISLATURE  —  SHARP-SHOOTING  —  PROPOSITIONS  FOR  A  NEW 
CAPITAL  OF  CONNECTICUT  —  THE  RIVALRY  OF  CITIES  —  CULMINATION  OF  THK 
RAILROAD  CONTROVERSY  —  EXCITEMENT  AMONG  THE  LOBBYISTS — A  BILL 
FOR  THE  BENEFIT  OF  COMMUTERS  —  PEOPLE  PROTECTED  FROM  THE  PLUN 
DERERS —  HOW  SETTLERS  ARE  DRAWN  INTO  A  STATE  AND  THEN  CHEATED 
BY  THE  RAILROAD  COMPANIES  —  EQUAL  RIGHTS  FOR  COMMUTERS  AND  TRAN 
SIENT  PASSENGERS  —  WHAT  COMMODORE  VANDERBILT  DID  —  WHAT  THE  NEW 
YORK  AND  NEW  HAVEN  RAILROAD  COMPANY  WANTED  TO  DO  —  EXPOSURE  OF 
THEIR  PLOT  —  CONSTERNATION  OF  THE  CONSPIRATORS — MY  VICTORY  —  AGAIN 
ELECTED  TO  THE  LEGISLATURE  —  UNITED  STATES  SENATOR  FERRY  —  EX- 
GOVERNOR  W.  A.  BUCKINGHAM  —  THEODORE  TILTON  —  GOVERNOR  HAWLEY  — 
FRIENDS  AT  LINDENCROFT  —  NOMINATED  FOR  CONGRESS  AND  DEFEATED. 

DURING  my  membership  in  the  Connecticut  Legisla 
ture  of  1865,  I  made  several  new  friends  and  agreeable 
acquaintances,  and  many  things  occurred,  sometimes  in 
the  regular  proceedings,  and  sometimes  as  episodes, 
which  made  the  session  memorable.  On  one  occasion, 
a  representative,  who  was  a  lawyer,  introduced  resolu 
tions  to  reduce  the  number  of  Representatives,  urging 
that  the  "  House"  was  too  large  and  ponderous  a  body 
to  work  smoothly ;  that  a  smaller  number  of  persons 
could  accomplish  business  more  rapidly  and  completely ; 
and,  in  fact,  that  the  Connecticut  Legislature  was  so 
large  that  the  members  did  not  have  time  to  get  ac 
quainted  with  each  other  before  the  body  adjourned 
sine  die. 

I  replied,  that  the  larger  the  number  of  representa 
tives,  the  more  difficult  it  would  be  to  tamper  with 


650  MY  WAR  ON  THE  RAILROADS. 

them  ;  and  if  they  all  could  not  become  personally  ac 
quainted,  so  much  the  better,  for  there  would  be  fewer 
"  rings,"  and  less  facilities  for  forcing  improper  legisla 
tion. 

"  As  the  house  seems  to  be  thin  now,  I  will  move  to 
lay  my  resolutions  on  the  table,"  remarked  the  member ; 
"  but  I  shall  call  them  up  when  there  is  a  full  house." 

"  According  to  the  gentleman's  own  theory,"  I  replied, 
"  the  smaller  the  number,  the  surer  are  we  to  arrive  at 
correct  conclusions.  Now,  therefore,  is  just  the  time  to 
decide ;  and  I  move  that  the  gentleman's  resolutions 
be  considered."  This  proposition  was  seconded  amid  a 
roar  of  laughter ;  and  the  resolutions  were  almost  unan 
imously  voted  down,  before  the  member  fairly  compre 
hended  what  was  going  on.  He  afterwards  acknowl 
edged  it  as  a  pretty  fair  joke,  and  at  any  rate,  as  an 
effective  one. 

The  State  House  at  Hartford  was  a  disgrace  to  Con 
necticut  ;  the  Hall  of  Representatives  was  too  small  ; 
there  were  no  committee  rooms,  and  the  building  was 
utterly  unfit  for  the  purposes  to  which  it  was  devoted. 
The  State  House  at  New  Haven  was  very  little  better, 
and  I  made  a  strong  effort  to  secure  the  erection  of  new 
edifices  in  both  cities.  I  was  chairman  of  the  commit 
tee  on  new  State  Houses,  and  during  our  investigations 
it  was  ascertained  that  Bridgeport,  Middletown  and 
Meriden  would  each  be  willing  to  erect  a  State  House 
at  its  own  cost,  if  the  city  should  be  selected  as  the  new 
capital  of  the  State.  These  movements  aroused  the 
jealousy  of  Hartford  and  New  Haven,  which  at  once 
appointed  committees  to  wait  upon  us.  The  whole 
matter,  however,  finally  went  by  default,  and  the  ques 
tion  was  never  submitted  to  the  people.  H  is  quite 


MY  WAR  ON  THE   RAILROADS.  651 

possible,  however,  that  ere  long  the  citizens  of 
Bridgeport  or  Meriden  will  offer  to  build  a  capitol,  and 
that  one  of  these  two  cities  with  the  entire  consent  of 
the  rest  of  the  State,  including  the  inhabitants  of  Hart 
ford  and  New  Haven,  will  become  the  capital  of  Con 
necticut. 

As  the  session  drew  near  its  close,  the  railroad  con 
troversy  culminated  by  my  introduction  of  a  bill  to 
amend  the  act  for  the  regulation  of  railroads  by  the 
interpolation  of  the  following  : 

SECTION  508.  No  railroad  company,  which  haa  had  a  system  of  commutation 
fares  in  force  for  more  than  four  years,  shall  abolish,  alter,  or  modify  the  same, 
except  for  the  regulation  of  the  price  charged  for  such  commutation ;  and  such 
price  shall,  in  no  case,  be  raised  to  an  extent  that  shall  alter  the  ratio  between 
such  commutation  and  the  rates  then  charged  for  way  faro,  on  the  railroad  of 
such  company. 

The  New  York  and  New  Haven  Railroad  Company 
vseemed  determined  to  move  heaven  and  earth  to  prevent 
the  passage  of  this  law.  The  halls  of  legislation  were 
thronged  with  railroad  lobbyists,  who  button-holed 
nearly  every  member.  My  motives  were  attacked,  and 
the  most  foolish  slanders  were  circulated.  Not  only 
every  legal  man  in  the  house  was  arrayed  against  me5 
but  occasionally  a  "  country  member  "  who  had  promised 
to  stick  by  and  aid  in  checking  the  cupidity  of  railroad 
managers,  would  drop  off,  and  be  found  voting  on  the 
other  side.  I  devoted  many  hours,  and  even  days,  to 
explaining  the  true  state  of  things  to  the  members  from 
the  rural  regions,  and  although  the  prospect  of  carry 
ing  this  great  reform  looked  rather  dark,  I  felt  that  I 
had  a  majority  of  the  honest  and  disinterested  members 
of  the  house  with  me.  Finally,  Senator  Ballard  informed 
me  that  he  had  canvassed  the  Senate  and  was  convinced 
that  the  bill  could  be  carried  through  that  body  if  I 
30 


652  MY    WAR   OK   THE   RAIL  BO  ADS. 

could  be  equally  successful  with  the  house.  At  last  it 
was  known  that  the  final  debate  would  take  place  and 
the  vote  be  taken  on  the  morning  of  July  13. 

When  the  day  arrived  the  excitement  was  intense. 
The  passages  leading  to  the  hall  were  crowded  with 
railroad  lobbyists ;  for  nearly  every  railroad  in  the  State 
had  made  common  cause  with  the  New  York  and  New 
Haven  Company,  and  every  representative  was  in  his 
seat,  excepting  the  sick  man,  who  had  doctored  the  rail 
roads  till  he  needed  doctoring  himself.  The  debate  was 
led  off  by  skirmishers  on  each  side,  and  was  finally 
closed  on  the  part  of  the  railroads  by  Mr.  Harrison, 
of  New  Haven,  who  was  chairman  of  the  railroad  com 
mittee.  Mr.  Henry  B.  Harrison  was  a  close  and  forcible 
debater  and  a  clear-headed  lawyer.  His  speech  exhib 
ited  considerable  thought,  and  his  earnestness  and  high 
character  as  a  gentleman  of  honor,  carried  much  weight. 
Besides,  his  position  as  chairman  of  the  committee 
naturally  influenced  some  votes.  He  claimed  to  under 
stand  thoroughly  the  merits  of  the  question,  from 
having,  in  his  capacity  as  chairman,  heard  all  the  testi 
mony  and  arguments  which  had  come  before  that  com 
mittee  ;  and  a  majority  of  the  committee,  after  due 
deliberation,  had  reported  against  the  proposed  bill. 

On  closing  the  debate.  I  endeavored  to  state  briefly 
the  gist  of  the  case,  —  that,  only  a  few  years  before,  the 
New  York  and  New  Haven  Company  had  fixed  their 
own  price  for  commuters'  tickets  along  the  whole  line 
of  the  road,  and  had  thus  induced  hundreds  of  New  York 
citizens  to  remove  to  Connecticut  with  their  families, 
and  build  their  houses  on  heretofore  unimproved  prop 
erty,  thus  vastly  increasing  the  value  of  the  lands,  and 
correspondingly  helping  our  receipts  for  taxes.  I  urged 


MY  WAR  ON  THE  RAILROADS.  653 

that  there  was  a  tacit  understanding  between  the  rail 
road  and  these  commuters  and  the  public  generally,  that 
such  persons  as  chose  thus  to  remove  from  a  neighboring 
State,  and  bring  their  families  and  capital  within  our 
borders,  should  have  the  right  to  pass  over  the  railroad 
on  the  terms  fixed  at  the  time  by  the  president  and 
directors  ;  —  that  any  claim  that  the  railroad  could  not 
afford  to  commute  at  the  prices  they  had  themselves 
established  was  absurd,  from  the  fact  that  even  now,  if 
one  thousand  families  who  reside  in  New  York,  and  had 
never  been  in  our  own  State,  should  propose  to  the 
railroad  to  remove  these  families  (embracing  in  the  ag 
gregate  five  thousand  persons),  to  Connecticut,  and 
build  one  thousand  new  houses  on  the  line  of  the  New 
York  and  New  Haven  Railroad,  provided  the  railroad 
would  carry  the  male  head  of  the  family  at  all  times  for 
nothing,  the  company  could  well  afford  to  accept  the 
proposition,  because  they  would  receive  full  prices  for 
transporting  all  other  members  of  these  families,  at  all 
times,  as  well  as  full  prices  for  all  their  visitors  and 
servants. 

And  now,  what  are  the  facts  ?  Do  we  desire  the  railroad  to  carry  even 
one-fifth  of  these  new  comers  for  nothing  ?  Do  we,  indeed,  desire  to  compel 
them  to  transport  them  for  any  definitely  fixed  price  at  all  ?  On  tho  contrary, 
we  find  that  during  the  late  rebellion,  when  gold  was  selling  for  two  dollars 
and  eighty  cents  per  dollar,  this  company  doubled  its  prices  of  commutation,  and 
retains  the  same  prices  now,  although  gold  is  but  one  half  that  amount  ($1.40). 
We  do  n't  ask  them  to  go  back  to  their  former  prices;  we  do  n't  compel  them  to 
rest  even  here;  we  simply  say,  increase  your  rates,  pile  up  your  demands  just  as 
high  as  you  desire,  only  you  shall  not  make  fish  of  one  and  fowl  of  another.  You 
have  fixed  and  increased  your  prices  to  passengers  of  all  classes  just  as  you  liked, 
and  established  your  own  ratio  between  those  who  pay  by  the  year,  and  thos^ 
who  pay  by  the  single  trip;  and  now,  all  we  ask  is,  that  you  shall  not  change  the 
ratio.  Charge  ten  dollars  per  passenger  from  New  York  to  New  Haven,  if  you 
have  the  courage  to  risk  the  competition  of  the  steamboats ;  and  whatever  per 
centage  you  choose  to  increase  the  faro  of  transient  passengers,  we  permit  you  to 
increase  the  rates  of  commuters  in  the  same  ratio. 

The  interests  of  the  State,  as  well  as  commuters,  demand  this  law;  for  if  it  is 
once  fixed  by  statute  that  the  prices  of  commutation  are  not  to  be  increased, 


654  MY  WAR  ON  THE  RAILROADS. 

many  persons  will  l«avo  the  localities  where  extortion  is  permitted  on  the  rail 
roads,  and  will  settle  in  our  State.  But  these  railroad  gentlemen  say  they  have 
no  intention  to  increase  their  rates  of  commutation,  and  they  deprecate  what 
they  term  "  premature  legiilation,"  and  an  uncalled  for  meddling  with  their 
affairs.  Mr.  Speaker,  "  an  ounce  of  prevention  is  worth  a  pound  of  cure."  Men 
engaged  in  plots  against  public  interests  always  ask  to  be  "let  alone."  Jeff 
Davis  only  asked  to  be  "  let  alone,"  when  the  North  was  raising  great  armies 
to  prevent  the  dissolution  of  the  Union.  The  people  cannot  afford  to  let  these 
railroads  alone.  This  hall,  crowded  with  railroad  lobbyists,  as  the  frogs  thronged 
Egypt,  is  an  admonition  to  all  honest  legislators,  that  it  is  unsafe  to  allow  the 
monopolies  the  chance  to  rivet  the  chains  which  already  fetter  the  limbs  of  those 
whom  circumstances  place  in  the  power  of  these  companies. 

It  was  at  this  point  in  my  remarks  when  I  received 
the  telegram  from  my  son-in-law  in  New  York,  announc 
ing  the  burning  of  the  American  Museum.  Reading 
the  despatch,  and  laying  it  on  my  desk  without  further 
attention,  I  continued : 

These  railroad  gentlemen  absolutely  deny  any  intention  of  raising  the  fares 
of  commuters,  and  profess  to  think  it  very  hard  that  disinterested  and  conscien 
tious  gentlemen  like  them  should  be  judged  by  the  doings  of  the  Hudson  River 
and  Harlem  Railroads.  But  now,  Mr  Speaker,  I  am  going  to  expose  the  dupli 
city  of  these  men.  I  have  had  detectives  on  their  track,  for  men  who  plot  against 
public  interests  deserve  to  be  watched.  I  have  in  my  pocket  positive  proofs  that 
they  did,  and  do,  intend  to  spring  their  trap  upon  the  unprotected  commuters  on 
the  New  York  and  New  Haven  Railroad. 

I  then  drew  from  my  pocket  and  read  two  telegrams 
received  that  morning,  one  from  New  York  and  the 
other  from  Bridgeport,  announcing  that  the  New  York 
and  New  Haven  Railroad  Directory  had  held  a  secret 
meeting  in  New  York,  the  day  before,  for  the  purpose 
of  immediately  raising  the  fares  of  commuters  twenty 
per  cent,  so  that  in  case  my  bill  became  a  law  they 
could  get  ahead  of  me.  I  continued : 

Now,  Mr.  Speaker,  I  know  that  these  despatches  are  true;  my  information 
is  from  the  inside  of  the  camp.  I  see  a  director  of  the  New  York  and  New  Haven 
Railroad  sitting  in  this  hall;  I  know  that  he  knows  these  despatches  are  true ; 
and  if  he  will  go  before  the  railroad  committee  and  make  oath  that  he  don't  know 
that  such  a  meeting  took  place  yesterday  for  exactly  this  purpose,  I  will  forfeit 
and  pay  one  thousand  dollars  to  the  families  of  poor  soldiers  in  this  city.  In  con 
sideration  of  this  attempt  to  forestall  the  action  of  this  legislature,  I  offer  an 
amendment  to  the  bill  now  under  consideration  by  adding  after  tbe  word  "  ratio," 


MY  WAR  ON  THE  RAILROADS.  655 

the  words  "as  it  existed  on  the  first  day  of  July,  1865."  In  this  way,  we  shall 
cut  off  any  action  which  these  sleek  gentlemen  may  have  taken  yesterday.  It  is 
now  evident  that  these  railroad  gentlemen  have  set  a  trap  for  this  legislature ; 
and  I  propose  that  we  now  spring  the  trap,  and  see  if  we  cannot  catch  these  wily 
railroad  directors  in  it.  Mr.  Speaker,  I  move  the  previous  question. 

The  opposition  were  astounded  at  the  revelation  and  the  pre 
vious  question  was  ordered.  The  bill  as  amended  was  carried 
almost  with  a  "  hurrah."  It  is  now  an  act  in  the  statute 
book  of  the  State,  and  it  annually  adds  many  dollars  to  the 
assessment  roll  of  Connecticut,  since  the  protection  afforded 
to  commuters  against  the  extortions  practised  by  railway  com 
panies  elsewhere  is  a  strong  inducement  to  permanent  settlers 
along  the  lines  of  Connecticut  railways.* 

In  the  spring  of  1866, 1  was  again  elected  to  represent  the 
town  of  Fairfield  in  the  Connecticut  Legislature.  I  had  not 
intended  to  accept  a  nomination  for  that  office  a  second  time, 
but  one  of  the  directors  of  the  New  York  and  New  Haven 
Railroad,  who  was  a  citizen  of  Fairfield  and  had  been  a  zeal 
ous  lobby  member  of  the  preceding  legislature,  had  declared 
that  I  should  not  represent  the  town  again.  As  the  voters  of 
Fairfield  seemed  to  think  that  the  public  interests  were  of 
more  importance  than  the  success  of  railroad  conspiracies, 
combinations,  and  monopolies,  I  accepted  their  nomination. 

Almost  the  only  exciting  question  before  that  legislature  was 
the  election  of  an  United  States  Senator.  President  Johnson 
had  begun  to  show  disaffection  towards  the  Republican  party 
which  elected  him,  and  the  zealous  members  of  that  party 
were  watching  with  anxious  hearts  the  actions  of  those  who 
offered  themselves  as  candidates  for  offices  of  trust  and 
responsibility.  One  of  the  Republican  United  States  Senators 


*The  New  York  and  New  Haven  Railroad  Company  never  forgave  me  for  thus  se 
curing  a  righteous  law  for  the  protection  of  its  commuters.  Even  as  lately  as  1871, 
the  venders  of  books  on  the  trains  were  prohibited  from  selling  to  passengers  this  book 
which  exposes  their  cupidity.  A  parallel  railroad  from  New  York  to  New  Haven 
would  be  good  paying  stock,  and  would  materially  disturb,  if  not  destroy,  tho  present 
railroad  and  express  monopolies. 


656  MY  WAR  ON  THE   RAILROADS. 

had  already  abandoned  the  party  and  affiliated  with  John 
son.  The  other  Senator  was  a  candidate  for  re-election. 
He  had  been  a  favorite  candidate  with  me,  but  when  I 
became  convinced  that  he  sympathized  with  the  recre 
ant  Senator  and  President  Johnson,  no  importunities  of 
political  friends  or  any  other  inducement  could  change 
my  determination  to  defeat  him,  if  possible.  I  devoted 
days  and  nights  to  convincing  some  of  my  fellow  num 
bers  that  the  interests  of  the  State  and  the  country 
demanded  the  election  of  Hon.  O.  S.  Ferry  to  that 
important  office. 

Excitement  ran  high.  Ex- Governor  Wm.  A.  Buck 
ingham  was  also  a  candidate.  I  knew  he  would  make 
an  excellent  Senator  but  he  had  filled  the  gubernatorial 
chair  for  eight  years ;  and  as  the  present  senator  had 
held  his  office  twelve  years,  and  he  was  from  the  same 
city  as  Governor  Buckingham,  I  urged  that  Norwich 
should  not  carry  off  all  the  honors ;  that  Fairfield 
County  was  entitled  to  the  office  ;  and  both  before  and 
at  the  Eepublican  nominating  caucus  I  set  forth,  so  far 
as  I  was  able,  what  I  considered  the  merits  and  pecu 
liar  claims  of  Mr.  Ferry.  I  suggested  that  Mr.  Buck 
ingham  might  rest  on  his  laurels  for  a  couple  of  years 
and  be  elected  to  fill  the  place  of  the  next  retiring 
senator  in  1868.  Mr.  Ferry  started  in  the  ballotings 
with  a  very  small  vote  indeed,  and  it  required  the  most 
delicate  management  to  secure  a  majority  for  him  in 
that  caucus.  But  it  was  done  ;  and  as  the  great  strife 
was  between  the  two  other  rival  candidates,  Mr.  Ferry 
had  scarcely  a  hope  of  the  nomination  and  was  much 
surprised  the  next  morning  to  hear  of  his  success.  He 
jvas  elected  for  the  term  beginning  March  4, 1866,  and 
one  of  his  opposing  candidates  in  the  caucus  ex- 


MY   WAR   ON  TiHE  RAILROADS.  657 


Governor  William  A.  Buckingham,  was  elected,  two 
years  afterwards,  for  the  senatorial  term  commencing 
March  4,  1869. 

I  was  again  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Agricul 
ture,  and  on  the  whole  the  session  at  New  Haven,  in 
1866,  was  very  agreeable  to  me  ;  there  were  many  con 
genial  spirits  in  the  House  and  our  severer  labors  were 
lightened  by  some  very  delightful  episodes. 

During  the  summer,  Governor  Hawley,  Hon.  David 
Gallup,  Speaker  of  the  House,  Hon.  O.  S.  Ferry,  U.  S. 
Senator,  Mr.  W.  G.  Coe,  of  Winsted,  Mr.  A.  B. 
Mygatt,  of  New  Milford,  Mr.  Theodore  Tilton,  editor  of 
the  New  York  Independent,  Mr.  George  Pratt,  of  Nor 
wich,  Mr.  S.  H.  Wales,  of  the  Scientific  American,  Mr. 
David  Clark,  of  Hartford,  Mr.  A.  H.  Byington,  of 
Norwalk,  and  many  other  gentlemen  of  distinction  were 
occasional  guests  at  Lindencroft.  Several  times  we  had 
delightful  sails,  dinners,  and  clam-bakes  at  Charles 
Island,  eight  miles  east  of  Bridgeport,  a  most  cool  and 
charming  spot  in  the  warm  summer  days.  The  health 
of  my  wife,  which  had  been  poor  since  1855,  pre 
vented  many  occasions  of  festivity  for  which  I  had  all 
other  facilities  ;  for  Lindencroft  was  indeed  a  charming 
residence,  and  it  afforded  every  requisite  for  the  enter 
tainment  of  large  numbers  of  friends. 

During  the  summer  Governor  Hawley  appointed  me 
a  commissioner  to  the  Paris  Exposition,  but  I  was  unable 
to  attend. 

In  the  spring  of  1867,  I  received  from  the  Eepublican 
convention  in  the  Fourth  District  in  Connecticut  the 
nomination  for  Congress.  As  I  have  already  remarked, 
politics  were  always  distasteful  to  me.  I  possess  natu 
rally  too  much  independence  of  mind,  and  too  strong  a 


658  MY  WAR  ON  THE  RAILROADS. 

determination  to  do  what  I  believe  to  be  right,  regards 
less  of  party  expediency,  to  make  a  lithe  and  oily  politi 
cian.  To  be  called  on  to  favor  applications  from  office- 
seekers,  without  regard  to  their  merits,  and  to  do  the 
dirty  work  too  often  demanded  by  political  parties ;  to 
be  "  all  things  to  all  men  "  though  not  in  the  apostolic 
sense  ;  to  shake  hands  with  those  whom  I  despised, 
and  to  kiss  the  dirty  babies  of  those  whose  votes  were 
courted,  were  political  requirements  which  I  felt  I  could 
never  acceptably  fulfil.  Nevertheless,  I  had  become,  so 
far  as  business  was  concerned,  almost  a  man  of  leisure  ; 
and  some  of  my  warmest  personal  friends  insisted  that  a 
nomination  to  so  high  and  honorable  a  position  as  a 
member  of  Congress,  was  not  to  be  lightly  rejected, 
and  so  I  consented  to  run.  Fairfield  and  Litchfield 
counties  composed  the  district,  which  in  the  preceding 
Congressional  election,  in  1865,  and  just  after  the  close 
of  the  war,  was  republican.  In  the  year  following, 
however,  the  district  in  State  election  went  democratic, 
although  the  republican  State  ticket  was  elected.  I  had 
this  democratic  majority  to  contend  against  in  1867, 
and  as  the  whole  State  turned  over  and  elected  the 
democratic  ticket,  I  lost  my  election.  In  the  next  suc 
ceeding  Congressional  election,  in  1869,  the  Fourth 
District  also  elected  the  only  democratic  congressman 
chosen  from  Connecticut  that  year,  although  the  State 
itself  was  republican  again  by  a  considerable  majority. 
I  was  neither  disappointed  nor  cast  down  by  my 
defeat.  The  political  canvass  served  the  purpose  of 
giving  me  a  new  sensation,  and  introducing  me  to  new 
phases  of  human  nature,  —  a  subject  which  I  had 
always  great  delight  in  studying.  The  filth  and  scandal* 
the  slanders  and  vindictiveness,  the  plottings  and  fawn- 


MY;  WAR  OK  THE  RAILROADS  659 

Ings,  the  fidelity,  treachery,  meanness '  and  manliness, 
which  by  turns  exhibited  themselves  in  the  exciting 
scenes  preceding  the  election,  were  novel  to  me,  and 
were  so  far  interesting.  My  personal  efforts  in  the  can 
vass  were  mainly  confined  to  the  circulation  of  docu 
ments,  and  I  did  not  spend  a  dollar  to  purchase  a  vote. 
Shortly  after  my  opponent  was  nominated,  I  sent  him 
the  following  letter,  which  was  also  published  in  the 
Bridgeport  Standard: 

BRIDGEPORT,  CONN.,  Feb.  21,  1867. 

W.  H.  BARNUM,  Esq.,  Salisbury,  Conn. 

DEAR  SIR:  Observing  that  the  democratic  party  has 
nominated  you  for  Congress  from  this  district,  I  desire 
to  make  you  a  proposition. 

The  citizens  of  this  portion  of  our  State  will  be  com 
pelled  on  the  first  Monday  in  April  next,  to  decide 
whether  you  or  myself  shall  represent  their  interests 
and  their  principles  in  the  Fortieth  Congress  of  the 
United  States. 

The  theory  of  our  government  is,  that  the  will  of  the 
people  shall  be  the  law  of  the  land.  It  is  important, 
therefore,  that  the  people  shall  vote  understandingly, 
and  especially  at  this  important  crisis  in  our  national 
existence.  In  order,  that  the  voters  of  this  district 
shall  fully  comprehend  the  principles  by  which  each 
of  their  congressional  candidates  is  guided,  I  respect 
fully  invite  you  to  meet  me  in  a  serious  and  can 
did  discussion  of  the  important  political  issues  of  the 
day,  at  various  towns  in  the  Fourth  Congressional  Dis 
trict  of  Connecticut,  on  each  week  day  evening,  from 
the  fourth  day  of  March  until  the  thirtieth  day  of  the 
same  month,  both  inclusive. 

30* 


660  MY  WAR  ON  THE  RAILROADS. 

If  you  will  consent  to  thus  meet  me  in  a  friendly  dis 
cussion  of  those  subjects,  now  so  near  and  dear  to  every 
American  heart,  and,  I  may  add,  possessing  at  this  time 
such  momentous  interest  to  all  civilized  nations  in  the 
world,  who  are  suffering  from  misrule,  I  pledge  myself 
to  conduct  my  portion  of  the  debate  with  perfect  fair 
ness,  and  with  all  due  respect  for  my  opponent,  and 
doubt  not  you  will  do  the  same. 

Never,  in  my  judgment,  in  our  past  history  as  a 
nation,  have  interests  and  questions  more  important 
appealed  to  the  people  for  their  wise  and  careful  consid 
eration.  It  is  due  to  the  voters  of  the  Fourth  Congres 
sional  District  that  they  have  an  early  and  full  oppor 
tunity  to  examine  their  candidates  in  regard  to  these 
important  problems,  and  I  shall  esteem  it  a  great  privi 
lege  if  you  will  accept  this  proposition. 

Please  favor  me  with  an  early  answer,  and  oblige, 
Truly  yours, 

P.  T.  BARNUM. 

To  this  letter  Mr.  William  H.  Barnum  replied,  declin 
ing  to  accept  my  proposition  to  go  before  the  people  of 
the  district,  and  discuss  the  political  questions  of  the 
day. 

During  the  canvass  I  received  the  following  letter, 
which,  together  with  my  reply,  was  published  in  the 
Bridgeport  Standard  and  in  the  New  York  Tribune  : 

LITCHFIELD  Co.,  Conn.,  Feb.  20,  1867. 

P.  T.  BARNUM.  —  Dear  Sir :  Although  Fairfield  County  was  entitled  to  the 
nomination  of  the  copperhead  candidate  for  Congress  from  the  Fourth  District, 
and  under  ordinary  circumstances  it  would  have  been  given  to  William  F.  Taylor, 
of  Danbury,  you  are,  perhaps,  aware  thatthey  have  changed  their  tactics  and  nomi 
nated  a  wealthy  namesake  of  yours,  simply  for  the  purpose  of  using  his  money 
against  you.  A  democratic  ex-Congressman  is  said  to  be  preparing  a  tariff  of 
prices  to  be  paid  for  votes,  and  they  boast  that  their  candidate  will  expend 
$50,000  to  secure  his  election.  Already,  I  am  credibly  informed,  the  greenbacks 


MY   WAR  ON  THE  RAILROADS.  661 

are  being  freely  circulated  by  his  friends.  I  write  to  ask  what  your  intentions 
are  in  regard  to  counteracting  this  effort  of  the  copperhead  party.  Do  you  intend 
to  fight  fire  with  fire?  The  day  of  election  is  fast  approaching,  and  we  are  con 
fident  of  success,  as  all  our  friends  are  wide  awake. 

Respectfully  yours, 

The  New  York  Tribune,  commenting  upon  the  cor 
respondence,  said:  | 

Mr.  P.  T.  Barnum,  Union  candidate  for  Congress  in  the  Fourth  District  of 
Connecticut,  was  lately  solicited  by  a  friend  to  spend  money  in  a  manner  deemed 
objectionable  by  Mr.  Barnum,  and  he  responded  as  became  a  patriot. 

The  following  was  my  reply  to  the  above  letter : 

BRIDGEPORT,  Feb.  23,  1867. 

ESQ.  —  Dear  Sir:  Your  kind  letter  of  the  20th 

inst.  has  caused  me  painful  emotions.  I  now  wish  to 
say,  once  for  all,  that  under  no  conceivable  circum 
stances  will  I  permit  a  dollar  of  mine  to  be  used  to  pur 
chase  a  vote,  or  to  induce  a  voter  to  act  contrary  to  his 
honest  convictions. 

The  idea  that  the  intelligent  reading  men  of  New 
England  can  be  bought  like  sheep  in  the  shambles,  and 
that  the  sacred  principles  which  have  so  far  guided 
them  in  the  terrible  struggle  between  liberty  and  slavery 
can  now,  in  this  eventful  hour  of  national  existence,  be 
set  up  at  auction  and  knocked  down  to  the  highest 
bidder,  seems  to  me  as  preposterous  as  it  is  shameful 
and  humiliating.  But  if  it  is  possible  that  occasionally  a 
degraded  voter  can  thus  be  induced  to  "  sell  his  birth 
right  for  a  mess  of  pottage,"  God  grant  that  I  may  be  a  *] 
thousand  times  defeated  sooner  than  permit  one  grain  ^ 
of  gold  to  be  accursed  by  using  it  so  basely ! 

I  will  not  believe  that  American  citizens  can  lend 
themselves  to  the  contemptible  meanness  of  sapping 
the  very  life-blood  of  Our  noble  institutions  by  encour 
aging  a  fatal  precedent,  which  ignores  all  principle, 


662  MY   WAR  ON   THE   RAILROADS. 

and  would  soon  prevent  any  honest  man,  however 
distinguished  for  his  intelligence  and  loyal ty»  from 
representing  his  district  in  our  national  councils. 
None  could  then  succeed  except  unprincipled  vaga 
bonds,  who,  by  the  lavish  expenditure  of  money,  would 
debauch  and  degrade  the  freemen  whose  votes  they 
coveted. 

No,  sir !  Grateful  as  I  am  for  the  distinguished 
honor  of  receiving  a  unanimous  nomination  for  Con 
gress  from  the  loyal  Union  party  in  my  district,  I  have 
no  aspiration  for  that  high  position  if  it  is  only  to  be 
attained  by  bringing  into  disgrace  the  noble  privilege  of 
the  free  elective  franchise.  Think  for  a  moment  what 
a  deadly  weapon  is  being  placed  in  the  hands  of  tyrants 
throughout  the  civilized  world,  with  which  to  destroy 
such  apostles  of  liberty  as  John  Bright  and  Garibaldi,  if 
it  can  be  said  with  truth  that  American  citizens  have 
become  so  corrupt  and  degraded,  so  lost  to  a  just  esti 
mate  of  the  value  and  true  nobility  of  the  ballot,  that 
it  is  bought  and  sold  for  money. 

My  dear  sir,  any  party  that  can  gain  a  temporary  as 
cendancy  by  such  atrocious  means,  not  only  poisons  the 
body  politic  of  a  free  and  impartial  government,  but  is 
also  sure  to  bring  swift  destruction  upon  itself.  And 
so  it  should  be. 

I  am  unaccustomed  to  political  life,  and  know  but 
little  of  the  manner  of  conducting  a  campaign  like 
the  present.  I  believe,  however,  it  is  customary  for 
the  State  Central  Committee  to  assess  candidates,  in  or 
der  that  they  shall  defray  a  proper  portion  of  the  ex 
penses  incurred  for  speakers  and  documents  to  enlighten 
the  voters  upon  the  political  issues  of  the  day.  To  that 
extent  I  am  willing  and  anxious  to  be  taxed ;  for  <;  light 


MY  WAll  ON  THE  UAILKOADS.  663 

and  knowledge"  are%  always  desired  by  the  friends  of 
human  rights  and  of  public  order. 

But  I  trust  that  all  money  used  for  any  other  pur 
pose,  in  the  pending  election  will  come  from  the  pock 
ets  of  those  who  now  (as  during  the  rebellion)  are  doing 
their  utmost  to  aid  traitors,  and  who,  still  unrepenting, 
are  vindictively  striving  to  secure  at  the  ballot-box 
what  their  Southern  allies  failed  to  accomplish  on 
the  field  of  battle.  If  any  of  our  friends  misapprehend 
my  true  sentiments  upon  the  subject  of  bribery,  cor 
ruption  and  fraud,  I  hope  you  will  read  them  this 

letter. 

Truly  yours, 

P.  T.  BARNUM. 

P.  S.  —  The  following  is  the  law  of  Connecticut  on 
the  bribery  of  electors  : 

SECTION  (yi.  No  person  shall  offer  or  receive  any  money,  or  other  thing,  by 
way  of  gift,  fee  or  reward,  for  giving,  or  refusing  to  give,  a  vote  for  electing 
members  of  the  General  Assembly,  or  any  officer  chosen  at  an  electors'  meeting, 
nor  promise,  procure,  or  in  any  way  confer,  any  gratuity,  reward  or  preferment, 
Cor  any  vote  given  or  to  be  given,  in  any  election;  and  every  person  guilty  of  so 
doing  shall  forfeit  the  sum  of  $17,  one-half  to  him  who  shall  prosecute  to  effect, 
and  the  other  half  to  the  treasury  of  the  town  where  the  offence  is  committed, 
and  every  person  who  shall  be  convicted  a  second  time  of  a  like  offence  shall  be 
disfranchised. 

That  section  commends  itself  to  the  obedience  of 
every  law-abiding  voter,  and  I  shall  be  the  last  to  con 
sent  to  its  violation.  p.  T.  B. 

When  Congress  met,  I  was  surprised  to  see  by  the 
newspapers  that  the  seat  of  my  opponent  was  to  be 
contested  on  account  of  alleged  bribery,  fraud  and  cor 
ruption  in  securing  his  election.  This  was  the  first 
intimation  that  I  had  ever  received  of  such  an  intention, 
and  I  was  never,  at  any  time  before  or  afterwards, 
consulted  upon  the  subject.  The  movement  proved  to 


664  MY  WAR  ON  THE  KAILEOADS. 

have  originated  with  neighbors  and  townsmen  of  the 
successful  candidate,  who  claimed  to  be  able  to  prove 
that  he  had  paid  large  sums  of  money  to  purchase 
votes.  They  also  claimed  that  they  had  proof  that 
men  were  brought  from  an  adjoining  State  to  vote, 
and  that  in  the  office  of  the  successful  candidate  nat 
uralization  papers  were  forged  to  enable  foreigners  to 
vote  upon  them.  But,  I  repeat,  I  took  no  part  nor 
lot  in  the  matter,  but  concluded  that  if  I  had  been 
defeated  by  fraud,  mine  was  the  real  success. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

BENNETT  AND  THE  HERALD. 

THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  LKASE  —  ITS  VALUE  —  BENNETT  OF  THE  HERALD  BUYS 
IT  FOR  $200,000  —  HE  PURCHASES  THE  PROPERTY  —  OVERESTIMATE  OF  ITS 
WORTH  —  MAX  MARETZEK  —  MISS  CLARA  LOUISE  KELLOOG'S  ESTIMATE  OF 
CERTAIN  PEOPLE  —  THE  POWER  BEHIND  THE  HERALD  THRONE  —  THE  HER- 
ALD'S  INFLUENCE — BENNETT  KICKED  AND  COWHIDED  —  HIS  LAWYER  INSISTS 
UPOK  MY  TAKING  BACK  THE  MUSEUM  LEASE  —  I  DECLINE  —  BENNETT  RE 
FUSES  MY  ADVERTISEMENTS  —  INTERVIEW  WITH  MR,  HUDSON  — WAR  OF  THE 
MANAGERS  UPON  THE  HERALD  —  BENNETT  HUMBLED  —  LOSS  OF  THE  HERALD'S 
PRESTIGE  — MONEY  — DAMAGE  TO  BENNETT'S  ESTABLISHMENT  —  THE  EDITOR 
SUED  —  PEACE  BETWEEN  THE  HERALD  AND  THE  MANAGERS. 

WHEN  the  old  American  Museum  burned  down,  and 
while  the  ruins  were  still  smoking,  I  had  numerous 
applications  for  the  purchase  of  the  lease  of  the  two 
lots,  fifty-six  by  one  hundred  feet,  which  had  still  nearly 
eleven  years  to  run.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in 
1847  I  came  back  from  England,  while  my  second  lease 
of  five  years  had  yet  three  years  more  to  run,  and  renewed 
that  lease  for  twenty-five  years  from  1851  at  an  annual 
rental  of  $10,000.  It  was  also  stipulated  that  in  case 
the  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  the  proprietor  of  the 
property  should  expend  twenty-four  thousand  dollars 
towards  the  erection  of  a  new  edifice,  and  at  the  end 
of  the  term  of  lease  he  was  to  pay  me  the  appraised 
value  of  the  building,  not  to  exceed  $100,000.  Rents 
and  real  estate  values  had  trebled  since  I  took  this 
twenty-five  years'  lease,  and  hence  the  remaining  term 
was  very  valuable.  I  engaged  an  experienced  and  com 
petent  real  estate  broker  in  Pine  Street  to  examine  the 


066  BENNETT  AND  THE  HERALD. 

terms  of  my  lease,  and  in  view  of  his  knowledge  of  the 
cost  of  erecting  buildings  and  the  rentals  they  were 
commanding  in  Broadway,  I  enjoined  him  to  take  his 
time,  and  make  a  careful  estimate  of  what  the  lease  was 
worth  to  me,  and  what  price  I  ought  to  receive  if  I  sold 
it  to  another  party.  At  the  end  of  several  days,  he 
showed  me  his  figures,  which  proved  that  the  lease  was 
fully  worth  $275,000.  As  I  was  inclined  to  have  a 
museum  higher  up  town,  I  did  not  wish  to  engage  in 
erecting  two  buildings  at  once,  so  I  concluded  to  offer  my 
museum  lease  for  sale.  Accordingly,  I  put  it  into  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Homer  Morgan,  with  directions  to  offer  it 
for  $225,000,  which  was  $50,000  less  than  the  value  at 
which  it  had  been  estimated. 

The  next  day  I  met  Mr.  James  Gordon  Bennett,  who 
told  me  that  he  desired  to  buy  my  lease,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  purchase  the  fee  of  the  museum  property, 
for  the  erection  thereon  of  a  publication  building  for  the 
New  York  Herald.  I  said  I  thought  it  was  very  fitting 
the  Herald  should  be  the  successor  of  the  Museum ;  and 
Mr.  Bennett  asked  my  price. 

"  Please  to  go  or  send  immediately  to  Homer  Mor 
gan's  office,"  I  replied,  "  and  you  will  learn  that  Mr. 
Morgan  has  the  lease  for  sale  at  $225,000.  This  is 
$50,000  less  than  its  estimated  value  ;  but  to  you  I  will 
deduct  $25.000  from  my  already  reduced  price,  so  you 
may  have  the  lease  for  $200,000." 

Bennett  replied  that  he  would  look  into  the  affair 
closely ;  and  the  next  day  his  attorney  sent  for  my  lease. 
He  kept  it  several  days,  and  then  appointed  an  hour  for 
me  to  come  to  his  office.  I  called  according  to  appoint 
ment.  Mr.  Bennett  and  his  attorney  had  thoroughly  ex 
amined  the  lease.  It  was  the  property  of  my  wife. 


BENNETT  AND  THE  HERALD. 

Bennett  concluded  to  accept  my  offer.  My  wife  as 
signed  the  lease  to  him,  and  his  attorney  handed  me  Mr. 
Bennett's  check  on  the  Chemical  Bank  for  $200,000. 
That  same  day  I  invested  $50,000  in  United  States 
bonds ;  and  the  remaining  $150,000  was  similarly  in 
vested  on  the  following  day.  I  learned  at  that  time 
that  Bennett  had  agreed  to  purchase  the  fee  of  the 
property  for  $500,000.  He  had  been  informed  that  the 
property  was  worth  some  $350,000  to  $400,000,  and  he 
did  not  mind  paying  $100,000  extra  for  the  purpose  of 
carrying  out  his  plans.  But  the  parties  who  estimated 
for  him  the  value  of  the  land  knew  nothing  of  the  fact 
that  there  was  a  lease  upon  the  property,  else  of 
course  they  would  in  their  estimate  have  deducted  the 
$200,000  which  the  lease  would  cost.  When,  therefore, 
Mr.  Bennett  saw  it  stated  in  the  newspapers  that  the 
sum  which  he  had  paid  for  a  piece  of  land  measuring 
only  fifty-six  by  one  hundred  feet  was  more  than  was  ever 
before  paid  in  any  city  in  the  world  for  a  tract  of  that  size, 
he  discovered  the  serious  oversight  which  he  had  made  ; 
and  the  owner  of  the  property  was  immediately  informed 
that  Bennett  would  not  take  it.  But  Bennett  had  al 
ready  signed  a  bond  to  the  owner,  agreeing  to  pay 
$100,000  cash,  and  to  mortgage  the  premises  for  the 
remaining  $400,000. 

Supposing  that  by  this  step  he  had  shaken  off 
the  owner  of  the  fee,  Bennett  was  not  long  in  seeing 
that,  as  he  was  not  to  own  the  land,  he  would  have  no 
possible  use  for  the  lease,  for  which  he  had  paid  the 
$200,000 ;  and  accordingly  his  next  step  was  to  shake 
me  off  also,  and  get  back  the  money  he  had  paid  me. 

At  this  time  Bennett  was  ruling  the  managers  of  the 
theatres  and  other  amusements  with  a  rod  of  iron.  He 


BENNETT  AND  THE  HERALD. 

had  established  a  large  job  printing  office  in  connection 
with  the  Herald  office ;  and  woe  to  the  manager  who 
presumed  to  have  his  bills  printed  elsewhere.  Any 
manager  who  dared  to  decline  employing  Bennett's  job 
office  to  print  his  small  bills  and  posters,  at  Bennett's 
exorbitant  prices,  was  ignored  in  the  Herald  ;  his  adver 
tisements  were  refused,  and  generally,  he  and  his  estab 
lishment  were  black-balled  and  blackguarded  in  the 
columns  of  the  Herald.  Of  course  most  of  the  managers 
were  somewhat  sensitive  to  such  attacks,  and  therefore 
submitted  to  his  impositions  in  the  job  office,  his  double 
price  for  newspaper  advertisements,  and  any  other  over 
bearing  conditions  the  Herald  might  choose  to  dictate. 
The  advertisements  of  the  Academy  of  Music,  then  under 
the  direction  of  Mr.  Max  Maretzek.  had  been  refused  on 
account  of  some  dissatisfaction  in  the  Herald,  office  in 
regard  to  free  boxes,  and  also  because  the  prima  donna, 
Miss  Clara  Louise  Kellogg,  had  certain  ideas  of  her  own 
with  regard  to  social  intercourse  with  certain  people, 
as  Miss  Jenny  Lind  had  with  regard  to  the  same  people, 
when  she  was  under  my  management,  and  to  some  de 
gree  under  my  advice,  and  these  ideas  were  not  partic 
ularly  relished  by  the  power  behind  the  Herald  throne. 
For  my  own  part,  I  thoroughly  understood  Bennett 
and  his  concern,  and  I  never  cared  one  farthing  for 
him  or  his  paper.  I  had  seen  for  years,  especially  as 
Bennett's  enormously  overestimated  "  influence"  applied 
to  public  amusements,  that  whatever  the  Herald  praised, 
sickened,  drooped,  and  if  the  Herald  persisted  in  prais 
ing  it,  finally  died  ;  while  whatever  the  Herald  attacked 
prospered,  and  all  the  more,  the  more  it  was  abused. 
It  was  utterly  impossible  for  Bennett  to  injure  me,  un 
less  he  had  some  more  potent  weapon  than  his  Herald. 


BENNETT  AND  THE  HERALD.  669 

And  that  this  was  the  general  opinion  was  quite  evident 
from  the  fact  that  several  years  had  elapsed  since  gen 
tlemen  were  in  the  almost  daily  habit  of  cuffing,  kicking 
and  co  winding  Bennett  in  the  streets  and  other  public 
places  for  his  scurrilous  attacks  upon  them,  or  upon 
members  of  their  families.  It  had  come  to  be  seen  that 
what  the  Herald  said,  good  or  bad,  was,  like  the  editor 
himself, literally  of  "no  account." 

My  business  for  many  years,  as  manager  of  the  Museum 
and  other  public  entertainments,  compelled  me  to  court 
notoriety ;  and  I  always  found  Bennett's  abuse  far  more 
remunerative  than  his  praise,  even  if  I  could  have  had 
the  praise  at  the  same  price,  that  is,  for  nothing. 
Especially  was  it  profitable  to  me  when  I  could  be  the 
subject  of  scores  of  lines  of  his  scolding  editorials  free 
of  charge,  instead  of  paying  him  forty  cents  a  line  for 
advertisements,  which  would  not  attract  a  tenth  part  so 
much  attention.  Bennett  had  tried  abusing  me,  off  and 
on,  for  twenty  years,  on  one  occasion  refusing  my  adver 
tisement  altogether  for  the  space  of  about  a  year ;  but  I 
always  managed  to  be  the  gainer  by  his  course.  Now, 
however,  when  new  difficulties  threatened,  all  the  lead 
ing  managers  in  New  York  were  members  of  the 
"  Managers'  Association,"  and  as  we  all  submitted  to  the 
arbitrary  and  extortionate  demands  of  the  Herald,  Ben 
nett  thought  he  had  but  to  crack  his  whip,  in  order  to 
keep  any  and  all  of  us  within  the  traces.  The  great 
Ogre  of  the  Herald  supposed  he  could  at  all  times 
frighten  the  little  managerial  boys  into  any  holes  which 
might  be  left  open  for  them  to  hide  in.  Accordingly,  one 
4ay  Bennett's  attorney  wrote  me  a  letter,  saying  that  he 
would  like  to  have  me  call  on  him  at  his  office  the  fol 
lowing  morning.  Not  dreaming  of  the  object  I  called  as 


fi70  BENNETT  AND  THE  HEBALD. 

desired,  and  after  a  few  pleasant  commonplace  remarks 
about  the  weather,  and  other  trifles,  the  attorney  said : 

"  Mr.  Barnum,  I  have  sent  for  you  to  say  that  Mr. 
Bennett  has  concluded  not  to  purchase  the  museum  lots, 
and  therefore  that  you  had  better  take  back  the  lease, 
and  return  the  $200,000  paid  for  it." 

"  Are  you  in  earnest  ? "  I  asked  with  surprise. 

"  Certainly,  quite  so,"  he  answered. 

"  Really,"  I  said,  smiling,  "  I  am  sorry  I  can't  accom 
modate  Mr.  Bennett ;  I  have  not  got  the  little  sum 
about  me ;  in  fact,  I  have  spent  the  money." 

"  It  will  be  better  for  you  to  take  back  the  lease,"  said 
the  attorney  seriously. 

"  Nonsense,"  I  replied,  "  I  shall  do  nothing  of  the 
sort,  I  don't  make  child's  bargains.  The  lease  was  cheap 
enough,  but  I  have  other  business  to  attend  to,  and  shall 
have  nothing  to  do  with  it." 

The  attorney  said  very  little  in  reply  ;  but  I  could  see, 
by  the  almost  benignant  sorrow  expressed  upon  his 
countenance,  that  he  evidently  pitied  me  for  the  temer 
ity  that  would  doubtless  lead  me  into  the  jaws  of  the 
insatiable  monster  of  the  Herald.  The  next  morning  I 
observed  that  the  advertisement  of  my  entertainments 
with  my  Museum  Company  at  Winter  Garden  was  left 
out  of  the  Herald  columns.  I  went  directly  to  the  edi 
torial  rooms  of  the  Herald ;  and  learning  that  Bennett 
was  not  in,  I  said  to  Mr.  Hudson,  then  managing  editor : 

"  My  advertisement  is  left  out  of  the  Herald ;  is  there 
a  screw  loose  ?  " 

"  I  believe  there  is."  was  the  reply. 

"  What  is  the  matter?  "  I  asked. 

"You  must  ask  the  Emperor,"  said  Mr.  Hudson,- 
meaning  of  course  Bennett. 


BENNETT  AND  THE  HERALD. 

"  When  will  the  4  Emperor '  be  in  1 "  I  inquired ;  "  next 
Monday,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Well,  I  shall  not  see  him,"  I  replied  ;  "  but  I  wish 
to  have  this  thing  settled  at  once.  Mr.  Hudson,  I  now 
tender  you  the  money  for  the  insertion  of  my  Museum 
advertisement  on  the  same  terms  as  are  paid  by  other 
places  of  amusement,  will  you  publish  it  1 " 

"  I  will  not,"  Mr.  Hudson  peremptorily  replied. 

"  That  is  all,"  I  said.  Mr.  Hudson  then  smilingly 
and  blandly  remarked,  "  I  have  formally  answered  your 
formal  demand,  because  I  suppose  you  require  it ;  but 
you  know,  Mr.  Barnum,  I  can  only  obey  orders."  I 
assured  him  that  I  understood  the  matter  perfectly,  and 
attached  no  blame  to  him  in  the  premises.  I  then  pro 
ceeded  to  notify  the  Secretary  of  the  "  Managers'  Asso 
ciation  "  to  call  the  managers  together  at  twelve  o'clock 
the  following  day  ;  and  there  was  a  full  meeting  at  the 
appointed  time.  I  stated  the  facts  in  the  case  in  the 
Herald  affair,  and  simply  remarked,  that  if  we  did  not 
make  common  cause  against  any  newspaper  publisher 
who  excluded  an  advertisement  from  his  columns  simply 
to  gratify  a  private  pique,  it  was  evident  that  either  and 
all  of  us  were  liable  to  imposition  at  any  time. 

One  of  the  managers  immediately  made  a  motion  that 
the  entire  association  should  stop  their  advertising  and 
bill  printing  at  the  Herald  office,  and  have  no  further 
connection  with  that  establishment.  Mr.  Lester  Walla  ck 
advised  that  this  motion  should  not  be  adopted  until  a 
committee  had  waited  upon  Bennett,  and  had  reported 
the  result  of  the  interview  to  the  Association.  Accord 
ingly,  Messrs.  Wallack,  Wheatley  and  Stuart  were  dele 
gated  to  go  down  to  the  Herald  office  to  call  on  Mr. 
Bennett. 


672  BENNETT  AND  THE  HERALD. 

The  moment  Bennett  saw  them,  he  evidently  suspected 
the  object  of  their  mission,  for  he  at  once  commenced 
to  speak  to  Mr.  Wallack  in  a  patronizing  manner ;  told 
him  how  long  he  had  known,  and  how  much  he  re- 
spected  his  late  father,  who  was  "  a  true  English  gen^ 
tleman  of  the  old  school,"  with  much  more  in  the  same 
strain.  Mr.  Wallack  replied  to  Bennett  that  the  three 
managers  were  appointed  a  committee  to  wait  upon  him 
to  ascertain  if  he  insisted  upon  excluding  from  his  col 
umns  the  Museum  advertisements,  —  not  on  account  of 
any  objection  to  the  contents  of  the  advertisements,  or 
to  the  Museum  itself,  but  simply  because  he  had  a 
private  business  disagreement  with  the  proprietor?  — 
intimating  that  such  a  proceeding,  for  such  a  reason, 
and  no  other,  might  lead  to  a  rupture  of  business  rela 
tions  with  other  managers.  In  reply,  Mr.  Bennett  had 
something  to  say  about  the  fox  that  had  suffered  tail- 
wise  from  a  trap,  and  thereupon  advised  all  other  foxes 
to  cut  their  tails  off ;  and  he  pointed  the  fable  by  setting 
forth  the  impolicy  of  drawing  down  upon  the  Association 
the  vengeance  of  the  Herald.  The  committee,  however, 
coolly  insisted  upon  a  direct  answer  to  their  question. 

Bennett  then  answered :  "I  will  not  publish  Bar- 
num's  advertisement ;  I  do  my  business  as  I  please,  and 
in  my  own  way." 

"So  do  we,"  replied  one  of  the  managers,  and  the 
committee  withdrew. 

The  next  day  the  Managers'  Association  met,  heard 
the  report,  and  unanimously  resolved  to  withdraw  their 
advertisements  from  the  Herald,  and  their  patronage 
from  the  Herald  job  establishment,  and  it  was  done. 
Nevertheless,  the  Herald  for  several  days  continued 
to  print  gratuitously  the  advertisements  of  Wallack's 


BKSKNETT  AND  THE   HERALD.  673 

Theatre  and  Niblo's  Garden,  and  inordinately  puffed 
these  establishments,  evidently  in  order  to  ease  the  fall, 
and  to  convey  the  idea  that  some  of  the  theatres  patron 
ized  the  Herald^  and  perhaps  hoping  by  praising  these 
managers  to  draw  them  back  again,  and  so  to  nullify  the 
agreement  of  the  Association  in  regard  to  the  Herald. 
Thereupon,  the  managers  headed  their  advertisements 
in  all  the  other  New  York  papers  with  the  line,  "  This 
Establishment  does  not  advertise  in  the  New  York 
Herald"  and  for  many  months  this  announcement  was 
kept  at  the  top  of  every  theatrical  advertisement  and  on 
the  posters  and  playbills. 

The  Herald  then  began  to  abuse  and  vilify  the 
theatrical  and  opera  managers,  their  artists  and  their 
performances,  and  by  way  of  contrast  profusely  praised 
Tony  Pastor's  Bowery  show,  and  Sundry  entertainments 
of  a  similar  character,  thereby  speedily  bringing  some  of 
these  side-shows  to  grief  and  shutting  up  their  shops. 
Meanwhile,  the  first-class  theatres  prospered  amazingly 
under  the  abuse  of  Bennett.  Their  receipts  were  never 
larger,  and  their  houses,  never  more  thronged.  The  pub 
lic  took  sides  in  the  matter  with  the  managers  and 
against  the  Herald,  and  thousands  of  people  went  to  the 
theatres  merely  to  show  their  willingness  to  support  the 
managers  and  to  spite  "  Old  Bennett."  The  editor  was 
fairly  caught  in  his  own  trap  ;  other  journals  began  to 
estimate  the  loss  the  Herald  sustained  by  the  action  of 
the  managers,  and  it  was  generally  believed  that  this 
loss  in  advertising  and  job  printing  was  not  less  than 
from  $75,000  to  $100,000  a  year.  The  Herald's  circu 
lation  also  suffered  terribly,  since  hundreds  of  people,  at 
the  hotels  and  elsewhere,  who  were  accustomed  to  buy 
the  paper  solely  for  the  sake  of  seeing  what  amuse- 


674  BENNETT  ANI>  THE   HERALD. 

ments  were  announced  for  the  evening,  now  bought 
other  papers.  This  was  the  hardest  blow  of  all,  and  it 
fully  accounted  for  the  abuse  which  the  Herald  daily 
poured  out  upon  the  theatres. 

But  the  more  Bennett  raved  the  more  the  people 
laughed,  and  the  more  determined  did  they  seem  to 
patronize  the  managers.  Many  people  came  to  the 
Museum,  who  said  they  came  expressly  to  show  us  that 
the  public  were  with  us  and  against  the  Herald.  The 
other  managers  stated  their  experience  to  be  the  same  in 
this  respect.  In  fact,  it  was  a  subject  of  general  remark, 
that,  without  exception,  the  associated  managers  never 
had  done  such  a  thriving  business  as  during  the  two 
years  in  which  they  gave  the  Herald  the  cold  shoulder. 

Bennett  evidently  felt  ashamed  of  the  whole  transac 
tion  ;  he  would  never  publish  the  facts  in  his  columns, 
though  he  once  stated  in  an  editorial  that  it  had  been 
reported  that  he  had  been  cheated  in  purchasing  the 
Broadway  property ;  that  the  case  had  gone  to  court, 
and  the  public  would  soon  know  all  the  particulars. 
Some  persons  supposed  by  this  that  Bennett  had  sued 
me  ;  but  this  was  far  from  being  the  case.  The  owner 
of  the  lots  sued  Bennett,  to  compel  him  to  take  the  title 
and  pay  for  the  property  as  per  agreement ;  and  that 
was  all  the  "  law  "  there  was  about  it.  He  held  James 
Gordon  Bennett's  bond,  that  he  would  pay  him  half  a 
million  of  dollars  for  the  land,  as  follows :  $  100,000  cash, 
and  a  bond  and  mortgage  upon  the  premises  for  the 
remaining  $400,000.  The  day  before  the  suit  was  to 
come  to  trial,  Bennett  came  forward,  took  the  deed,  and 
paid  $100,000  cash  and  gave  a  bond  and  mortgage  of 
the  entire  premises  for  $400,000.  That  lien  still  e**sts 
against  the  Herald  property. 


BENNETT  AND  THE  HERALD.  675 

Had  I  really  taken  back  the  lease  as  Bennett  desired, 
he  would  have  been  in  a  worse  scrape  than  ever  ;  for 
having  been  compelled  to  take  the  property,  he  would 
have  been  obliged,  as  my  landlord,  to  go  on  and  assist  in 
building  a  Museum  for  me  according  to  the  terms  of  my 
lease,  and  a  Museum  I  should  certainly  have  built  on 
Bennett's  property,  even  if  I  had  owned  a  dozen  Mu 
seums  up  town.  As  it  was,  Bennett  was  badly  beaten 
on  every  side,  and  especially  by  the  managers,  who  for 
ever  established  the  fact  that  the  Herald's  abuse  was 
profitable,  and  its  patronage  fatal  to  any  enterprise  ;  and 
who  taught  Mr.  Bennett  personally  the  lesson  of  his  own 
insignificance,  as  he  had  not  learned  it  since  the  days 
when  gentlemen  used  to  kick  and  cowhide  him  up  and 
down  the  whole  length  of  Nassau  Street.  In  the 
autumn  of  1868,  the  associated  managers  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  punishment  of  Bennett  for  two  years 
was  sufficient,  and  they  consented  to  restore  their  adver 
tisements  to  the  Herald.  I  was  then  associated  with 
the  Van  Amburgh  Company  in  my  new  Museum,  and 
we  concluded  that  the  cost  of  advertising  in  the  Herald 
was  more  than  it  was  worth,  and  so  we  did  not  enter 
into  the  new  arrangement  made  by  the  Managers'  Asso 
ciation 


rmncaoo  I  -^awo)  ..gy&oiU  .oJ 


iii  oiuteevi  odj  boiovifeb  o&Is  I 

• 


u:>o     r< 
Jin -lo.  Biftia)  9i&  Oj  g/iihiODOB  om  *.ro1  n 

CHAPTER  XLH. 

-0M   noxob  r»  bonwo  Lud  I  li  novo  ..yjToqn-iq   ^l^nnMl 

PUBLIC  LECTUKING.         r(70 
\({'//  -P*t ^'*- n rr urf f  ^-iit   vcl  vliClOOCtBO  f)jt'/J  -r*tif-i5  V'iO'O  J'f"' 

KT  TatTTt  AT  THiC  WTIST  —  THE  CURIOSITY  EXHIBITOB  HIMSELf'  A  CITKIOSITT  — 
BUYING  A  FAKM  IN  WISCON&IN  —  HELPING  THOSE  WHO  HEUP  THEMSELVES 
—  ABIDE  ON  A  LOCOMOTIVE  —  PUNCTUALITY  IN  MY  ENGAGEMENTS — TRICKS 
TO  SECURE  9EArf»  IN  THE  LADIES'  CAR  —  I  SUDDENLY  BECAME  FATHER  TO  A 
,, YOUNG  1£AKRIS3>  COUPLE— MY  IDENTITY  DENIED— PITY  AND  CHARITY  — 
REVEREND  DOCTOR  CHAP1N  PULLS  THE  £ELL  —  TEMPERANCE .—  HOW  I 
BECAME  A  TEETOTALER  —  MODERATE  DRINKING'  AND  ITS  DANGERS  —  DOC 
TOR  CHAPIN'S  LECTURE  IN  BRIDGEPORT  —  BJY  OWN  EFFORTS  IN  THE  TEM 
PERANCE  CAUSE  —  LECTURING  THROUGHOUT  THE  COUNTRY — NEWSPAPER 
ARTICLES  —  THE  STORY  OP  VINELAND,  IN  NEW  JERSEY. 

DURING  the  summer  of  1866,  Mr.  Edwin  L.  Bxown, 
Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  ;4  Associated  Western 
Literary  Societies,"  opened  a  correspondence  with  me 
relative  to  delivering,  in  the  ensuing  season,  my  lecture 
on  "  Success  in  Life,"  before  some  sixty  lyceums,  Young 
Men's  Christian  Associations,  and  Literary  Societies 
belonging  to  the  union  which  Mr.  Brown  represented. 
The  scheme  embraced  an  extended  tour  through  Penn 
sylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Missouri  and 
Iowa,  and  I  was  to  receive  one  hundred  dollars  for  every 
repetition  of  my  lecture,  with  all  my  travelling  expenses 
on  the  route.  Agreeing  to  these  terms,  I  commenced  the 
engagement  at  the  appointed  time,  and,  averaging  five 
lectures  a  week,  I  finished  the  prescribed  round  just 
before  New  Year's.  Before  beginning  this  engagement, 
however,  I  gave  the  lecture  for  other  associations  at 
Wheeling,  Virginia,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  Louisville, 
Kentucky.  I  also  delivered  the  lecture  in  Chicago,  for 


PUBLIC  LECTURING.  677 

Professor  Eastman,  who  at  that  time  had  one  of  his 
Business  Colleges  in  that  city.  He  engaged  the  cele 
brated  Crosby  Opera  House  for  the  occasion,  and  I 
think,  with,  perhaps,  two  exceptions,  I  never  spoke 
before  so  large  and  intelligent  an  audience  as  was  there 
assembled.  It  was  estimated  that  from  five  to  six  thou- 
'  sand  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  gathered  in  that  capa 
cious  building ;  and  nearly  as  many  more  went  away 
unable  to  obtain  admission.  I  was  glad  to  observe  by 
the  action  of  the  audience,  and  by  the  journals  of  the 
following  day,  that  my  efforts  on  that  occasion  were 
satisfactory.  Indeed,  though  it  is  necessarily  egotistical, 
I  may  truly  say  that  with  this  lecture  I  always  suc 
ceeded  in  pleasing  my  hearers.  I  may  add,  that  I  have 
invariably,  as  a  rule,  devoted  to  charitable  purposes 
every  penny  I  ever  received  for  lecturing,  except  while 
I  was  under  the  great  Jerome  Clock  cloud  in  England, 
when  I  needed  all  I  could  earn. 

My  western  tour  was  delightful ;  indeed  it  was  al 
most  an  ovation.  I  found,  in  fact,  that  when  I  had 
strayed  so  far  from  home,  the  curiosity  exhibitor  him 
self  became  quite  a  curiosity.  On  several  occasions,  in 
Iowa,  I  was  introduced  to  ladies  and  gentlemen  who 
had  driven  thirty  miles  in  carriages  to  hear  me.  I 
insisted,  however,  that  it  was  more  to  see  than  to  hear ; 
and  I  asked  them  if  that  was  not  really  the  case.  In 
several  instances  they  answered  in  the  affirmative.  In 
fact,  one  quaint  old  lady  said :  "  Why,  to  tell  you  the 
truth,  Mr.  Barnum,  we  have  read  so  much  about  you,  and 
your  Museum  and  your  queer  carryings-on,  that  we  were 
not  quite  sure  but  you  had  horns  and  cloven  feet,  and 
so  we  came  to  satisfy  our  curiosity  ;  but,  la,  .  me  !  I  don't 
see  but  what  you  look  a  good  deal  like  other  folks, 
after  all." 


678  PUBLIC  LECTURING. 

While  at  the  West,  I  visited  my  sister,  Mrs.  Minerva 
Drew,  and  her  family,  at  Bristol,  Wisconsin,  where  they 
reside  on  a  farm  which  I  presented  to  her  about  twenty 
years  ago.  Her  children  having  grown  up  and  married, 
all  except  her  son,  Fairchild  B.  Drew,  who  had  just  at 
tained  his  majority,  his  father  (Ezekiel  Drew)  wished 
to  retain  his  services  on  the  farm.  Fairchild,  however, 
felt  that  the  farm  was  not  quite  large  enough  for  his  as 
pirations.  I  found  also  that  he  coveted  a  neighboring 
farm,  which,  with  its  stock,  was  for  sale  for  less  than 
five  thousand  dollars.  I  bought  it  for  him,  on  condi 
tion  that  he  should  continue  the  care  of  the  old  farm, 
arid  that  the  two  should  be  worked  together.  I  trust 
that  the  arrangement  will  prove  beneficial  to  all 
concerned ;  for  there  is  great  pleasure  in  helping 
others  who  try  to  help  themselves ;  without  such  effort 
on  their  part,  all  good  offices  in  their  favor  are  thrown 
away,  —  it  is  simply  attempting  to  make  a  sieve  hold 
water. 

On  my  tour,  in  attempting  to  make  the  connection 
from  Cleveland,  Ohio,  to  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  via 
Toledo,  I  arrived  at  the  latter  city  at  one  o'clock,  p.  M., 
which  was  about  two  hours  too  late  to  catch  the  train  in 
time  for  the  hour  announced  for  my  lecture  that  evening. 
I  went  to  Mr.  Andrews,  the  superintendent  of  the  To 
ledo,  Wabash  and  Western  Railway,  and  told  him  I 
wanted  to  hire  a  locomotive  and  car  to  run  to  Fort 
Wayne,  as  I  must  be  there  at  eight  o'clock  at  night. 

"  It  is  an  impossibility,"  said  Mr.  Andrews  ;  "  the  dis 
tance  is  ninety-four  miles,  and  no  train  leaves  here  till 
morning.  The  road  is  much  occupied  by  freight  trains, 
and  we  never  run  extra  trains  in  this  part  of  the  country, 
unless  the  necessity  is  imperative." 


PUBLIC  LECTURING.  6V9 

I  suppose  I  looked  astonished,  as  well  as  chagrined. 
I  knew  that  if  I  missed  lecturing  in  Fort  Wayne  that 
evening,  I  could  not  appoint  another  time  for  that  pur 
pose,  for  every  night  was  engaged  during  the  next  two 
months.  I  also  felt  that  a  large  number  of  persons  in 
Fort  Wayne  would  be  disappointed,  and  I  grew  despe 
rate.  Drawing  my  wallet  from  my  pocket,  I  said : 

"  I  will  give  two  hundred  dollars,  and  even  more,  if 
you  say  so,  to  be  put  into  Fort  Wayne  before  eight 
o'clock  to-night ;  8^d,  really,  I  hope  you  will  accommo 
date  me." 

The  superintendent  looked  me  thoroughly  over  in 
half  a  minute,  and  I  fancied  he  had  come  to  the  conclu 
sion  that  I- was  a  burglar,  a  counterfeiter,  or  something 
worse,  fleeing  from  justice.  My  surmise  was  confirmed, 
when  he  slowly  remarked  : 

46  Your  business  must  be  very  pressing,  sir." 

"It  is  indeed,"  I  replied ;  u  I  am  Barnum,  the  muse 
um  man,  and  am  engaged  to  speak  in  Fort  Wayne  to 
night." 

He  evidently  did  not  catch  the  whole  of  my  response, 
for  he  immediately  said  : 

"  Oh,  it  is  a  show,  eh]  Where  is  old  Barnum  him 
self]" 

"  I  am  Barnum,"  I  replied,  "  and  it  is  a  lecture  which 
I  am  advertised  to  give  to-night ;  and  I  would  not  dis » 
appoint  the  people  for  anything." 

"  Is  this  P.  T.  Barnum  ?  "  said  the  superintendent, 
starting  to  his  feet. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  it  is,"  I  replied. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Barnum,"  said  he,  earnestly,  "  if  you  can 
stand  it  to  ride  to  Fort  Wayne  in  the  caboose  of  a 
freight  train,  your  well-established  reputation  for  punc- 


680  PUBLIC   LECTURING. 

tuality  in  keeping  your  engagements  shall  not  suffer  on 
account  of  the  Toledo,  Wabash  and  Western  Railroad." 

"  Caboose ! "  said  I,  with  a  laugh,  "  I  would  ride  to 
Fort  Wayne  astride  of  the  engine,  or  boxed  up  and 
stowed  away  in  a  freight  car,  if  necessary,  in  order  to 
meet  my  engagement." 

A  freight  train  was  on  the  point  of  starting  for  Fort 
Wayne  ;  all  the  cars  were  at  once  ordered  to  be  switched 
off,  except  two,  which  the  superintendent  said  were 
necessary  to  balance  the  train ;  the  freight  trains  on  the 
road  were  telegraphed  to  clear  the  track,  and  the  polite 
superintendent  pointing  to  the  caboose,  invited  me  to 
step  in.  I  drew  out  my  pocket-book  to  pay,  but  he 
smilingly  shook  his  head,  and  said :  "  You  have  a 
through  ticket  from  Cleveland  to  Fort  Wayne  ;  hand  it 
to  the  freight  agent  on  your  arrival,  and  all  will  be 
right."  I  was  much  moved  by  this  unexpected  mark  of 
kindness,  and  expressing  myself  to  that  effect,  I  stepped 
into  the  caboose,  and  we  started. 

The  excited  state  of  mind  which  I  had  suffered  while 
under  the  impression  that  the  audience  in  Fort  Wayne 
must  be  disappointed  now  changed,  and  I  felt  as 
happy  as  a  king.  In  fact,  I  enjoyed  a  new  sensation  of 
imperial  superiority,  in  that  I  was  "  monarch  of  all  I 
surveyed,"  emperor  of  my  own  train,  switching  all  other 
trains  from  the  main  track,  and  making  conductors  all 
along  the  line  wonder  what  grand  mogul  had  thus  taken 
complete  possession  and  control  of  the  road.  Indeed, 
as  we  sped  past  each  train,  which  stood  quietly  on  a 
side  track  waiting  for  us  to  pass,  I  could  not  help 
smiling  at  the  glances  of  excited  curiosity  which  were 
thrown  into  our  car  by  the  agent  and  brakemen  of  the 
train  which  had  been  so  peremptorily  ordered  to  clear 


PUBLIC    LECTURING.  681 

the  track ;  and  always  stepping  at  the  caboose  door,  I 
raised  my  hat,  receiving  in  return  an  almost  reverent 
samte,  which  the  occupants  of  the  waiting  train  thought 
due,  no  doubt,  to  the  distinguished  person  for  whom 
they  were  ordered  by  special  telegram  to  make  way. 

I  now  began  to  reflect  that  the  Fort  Wayne  lecture 
committee,  upon  discovering  that  I  did  not  arrive  by  the 
regular  passenger  train,  would  not  expect  me  at  all,  and 
that  probably  they  might  issue  small  bills  announcing 
my  failure  to  arrive.  I  therefore  prepared  the  following 
telegram  which  I  despatched  to  them  on  our  arrival  at 
Napoleon,  the  first  station  at  which  we  stopped : 

Lecture  Committee,  Fort  Wayne :  —  Rest  perfectly  tranquil.  I  am  to  be  de 
livered  at  Fort  Wayne  by  contract  by  half-past  seven  o'clock — special  train. 

At  the  same  station  I  received  a  telegram  from  Mr. 
Andrews,  the  superintendent,  asking  me  how  I  liked  the 
caboose.  I  replied : 

The  springs  of  the  caboose  are  softer  than  down ;  I  am  as  happy  as  a  clam  at 
high  water ;  I  am  being  carried  towards  Fort  Wayne  in  a  style  never  surpassed 
by  Csesar's  triumphal  march  into  Rome.  Hurrah  for  the  Toledo  and  Wabash 
Railroad ! 

At  the  invitation  of  the  engineer,  I  took  a  ride  of 
twenty  miles  upon  the  locomotive.  It  fairly  made  my 
head  swim.  I  could  not  reconcile  my  mind  to  the  idea 
that  there  was  no  danger ;  and  intimating  to  the  engineer 
that  it  would  be  a  relie^  to  get  where  I  could  not  see 
ahead,  I  was  permitted  to  crawl  back  again  to  the 
caboose. 

I  reached  Fort  Wayne  in  ample  time  for  the  lecture ; 
and  as  the  committee  had  discreetly  kept  to  themselves 
the  fact  of  my  non-arrival  by  the  regular  train,  probably 
not  a  dozen  persons  were  aware  of  the  trouble  I  had 
taken  to  fulfil  my  engagement,  till  in  the  course  of  my 
lecture,  under  the  head  of  "  perseverance,"  I  recounted 

my  day's  adventures,  as  an  illustration  of  exercising  that 

31*' 


682  PUBLIC    LECTURING. 

quality  when  real  necessity  demanded.  The  Fort  Wayne 
papers  of  the  next  day  published  accounts  of  "  Barnum 
on  a  Locomotive,"  and  "  A  Journey  in  a  Caboose  "  ;  and 
as  I  always  had  an  eye  to  advertising,  these  articles 
were  sent  marked  to  newspapers  in  towns  and  cities 
where  I  was  to  lecture,  and  of  course  were  copied,  —  thus 
producing  the  desired  effects,  first,  of  informing  the  pub 
lic  that  the  "  showman"  was  coming,  and  next,  assuring 
the  lecture  committee  that  Barnum  would  be  punctually 
on  hand  as  advertised,  unless  prevented  by  "  circum 
stances  over  which  he  had  no  control." 

The  managers  of  railroads  running  west  from  Chi 
cago  pretty  rigidly  enforce  a  rule  excluding  from  certain 
reserved  cars  all  gentlemen  travelling  without  ladies. 
As  I  do  not  smoke,  I  avoided  the  smoking  cars ;  and  as 
the  ladies'  car  was  sometimes  more  select  and  always 
more  comfortable  than  the  other  cars,  I  tried  various 
expedients  to  smuggle  myself  in.  If  I  saw  a  lady  about 
to  enter  the  car  alone,  I  followed  closely,  hoping  thus 
to  elude  the  vigilance  of  the  brakeman,  who  generally 
acted  as  door-keeper.  But  the  car  Cerberus  is  pretty 
well  up  to  all  such  dodges,  and  I  did  not  always  suc 
ceed.  On  one  occasion,  seeing  a  young  couple,  evi 
dently  just  married,  and  starting  on  a  bridal  tour,  about 
to  enter  the  car,  I  followed  closely,  but  was  stopped  by 
the  door-keeper,  who  called  out: 

"  How  many  gentlemen  are  with  this  lady." 

I  have  always  noticed  that  young  newly-married  peo 
ple  are  very  fond  of  saying  "  my  husband  "  and  "  my 
wife ; "  they  are  new  terms  which  sound  pleasantly  to 
the  ears  of  those  who  utter  them  ;  so  in  answer  to  the 
peremptory  inquiry  of  the  door-keeper,  the  bridegroom 
promptly  responded  r 

"  T  am  this  lady's  husband." 


PUBLIC  LECTURING,  683 

"  And  I  guess  you  can  see  by  the  resemblance  between 
the  lady  antf  myself,"  said  I  to  Cerberus,  "  that  I  am  her 
father." 

The  astounded  husband  and  fche  blushing  bride  were 
too  much  "  taken  aback  "  to  deny  their  newly-discovered 
parent,  but  the  brakeman  said,  as  he  permitted  the 
young  couple  to  pass  into  the  car : 

"  We  can't  pass  all  creation  with  one  lady." 

"  I  hope  you  will  not  deprive  me  of  the  company  of 
my  child  during  the  little  time  we  can  remain  together," 
I  said  with  a  demure  countenance.  The  brakeman 
evidently  sympathized  with  the  fond  "  parient "  whose 
feelings  were  sufficiently  lacerated  at  losing  his  daughter 
through  her  finding  a  husband,  and  I  was  permitted  to 
pass.  I  immediately  apologized  to  the  young  bride  and 
her  husband,  and  told  them  who  I  was,  and  my  reasons 
for  the  assumed  paternity,  and  they  enjoyed  the  joke  so 
heartily  that  they  called  me  "  father  "  during  our  entire 
journey  together.  Indeed,  the  husband  privately  and 
slyly  hinted  to  me  that  the  first  boy  should  be  christened 
"  P.  T."  My  friend  the  Rev.  Dr.  Chapin,  by  the  by 
an  inveterate  punster,  is  never  tired  of  ringing  the 
changes  oil  the  names  in  my  family ;  he  says  that  my 
wife  and  I  are  the  most  sympathetic  couple  he  ever  saw, 
since  she  is  "  Charity"  "  and  I  am  "  Pity  "  (P.  T.)  On  one 
occasion,  at  my  house  in  New  York,  he  called  my  atten 
tion  to  the  monogram,  P.  T.  B.,  on  the  door  and  said, 
"  I  did  it,"  «  Did  what,"  I  asked  :  "  Why  that,"  replied 
the  doctor,  "  P.  T.  B.,  — Pull  The  Bell,  of  course,"  thus 
literally  ringing  a  new  change  on  my  initials. 

At  another  time  during  my  western  lecturing  trip,  I 
was  following  closely  in  the  wake  of  a  lady  who  was 
entering  the  favorite  car,  when  the  brakeman  exclaimed : 


684  PUBLIC   LECTUKIKG. 

"  You  can't  go  in  there,  sir  !  " 

"  I  rather  guess  I  can  go  in  with  a  lady,"  said  I, 
pointing  to  the  one  who  had  just  entered. 

"  Not  with  that  lady,  old  fellow  ;  for  I  happen  to 
know  her,  and  that  is  more  than  you  do ;  we  are  up  to 
all  these  travellers'  tricks  out  here  ;  it's  no  go." 

I  saw  indeed  that  it  was  "  no  go,"  and  that  I  must  try 
something  else ;  "  Look  here,  my  dear  fellow,"  said  I ; 
"  I  am  travelling  every  day  on  the  railroads,  on  a  lectur 
ing  tour  throughout  the  West,  and  I  really  hope  you 
will  permit  me  to  take  a  seat  in  the  ladies'  car.  I  am 
Barnum,  the  Museum  man  from  New  York." 

Looking  sharply  at  me  for  an  instant,  the  altogether 
too  wide-awake  brakeman  exclaimed :  "  Not  by  a  d  —  n 
sigjit  you  ain't !  I  know  Barnum !  " 

I  could  not  help  laughing ;  and  pulling  several  old 
letters  from  my  pocket,  and  showing  him  the  directions 
on  the  envelopes,  I  replied : 

"  Well,  you  may  know  him,  but  the  'old  fellow  '  has 
changed  in  his  appearance,  perhaps.  You  see  by  these 
letters  that  I  am  the  '  crittur.' " 

The  brakeman  looked  astonished,  but  finally  said : 
"  Well,  that  is  a  fact  sure  enough.  I  know  you  when 
I  come  to  look  again,  but  really  I  did  not  believe  you  at 
first.  You  see  we  have  all  sorts  of  tricks  played  on  us, 
and  we  learn  to  doubt  everybody.  You  are  very  wel 
come  to  go  in,  Mr.  Barnum,  and  I  am  glad  to  see  you," 
and  as  this  conversation  was  heard  throughout  the  car, 
"  Barnum,  the  showman,"  was  the  subject  of  general 
observation  and  remark. 

I  fulfilled  my  entire  engagement,  which  covered  the 
lecturing  season,  and  returned  to  New  York  greatly 
pleased  with  my  Western  tour.  Public  lecturing  was 


PUBLIC    LECTUEING.  685 

by  no  means  a  new  experience  with  me ;  for,  apart  from 
my  labors  in  that  direction  in  England,  and  occasional 
addresses  before  literary  and  agricultural  associations  at 
home,  I  had  been  prominently  .in  the  field  for  many 
years  as  a  lecturer  on  temperance.  My  attention  was 
turned  to  this  subject  in  the  following  manner  : 

In  the  fall  of  1847,  while  exhibiting  General  Tom 
Thumb  at  Saratoga  Springs,  where  the  New  York  State 
Fair  was  then  being  held,  I  saw  so  much  intoxication 
among  men  of  wealth  and  intellect,  filling  the  highest 
positions  in  society,  that  I  began  to  ask  myself  the  ques 
tion,  What  guarantee  is  there  that  I  may  not  become  a 
drunkard  ?  and  I  forthwith  pledged  myself  at  that  time 
never  again  to  partake  of  any  kind  of  spirituous  liquors 
as  a  beverage.  True,  I  continued  to  partake  of  wine, 
for  I  had  been  instructed,  in  my  European  tour,  that 
this  was  one  of  the  innocent  and  charming  indispensa- 
bles  of  life.  I  however  regarded  myself  as  a  good 
temperance  man,  and  soon  began  to  persuade  my 
friends  to  refrain  from  the  intoxicating  cup.  Seeing 
need  of  reform  in  Bridgeport,  I  invited  my  friend,  the 
Reverend  Doctor  E.  H.  Chapin,  to  visit  us,  for  the 
purpose  of  giving  a  public  temperance  lecture.  I  had 
never  heard  him  on  that  subject,  but  I  knew  that  on 
whatever  topic  he  spoke,  he  was  as  logical  as  he  was 
eloquent. 

He  lectured  in  the  Baptist  Church  in  Bridgeport. 
His  subject  was  presented  in  three  divisions :  The 
liquor-seller,  the  moderate  drinker,  and  the  indifferent 
man.  It  happened,  tt  refore,  that  the  second,  if  not 
the  third  clause  of  the  subject,  had  a  special  bearing 
upon  me  and  my  position.  The  eloquent  gentleman 
overwhelmingly  proved  that  the  so-called  respectable 


686  PUBLIC  LECTURING. 

liquor-seller,  in  his  splendid  saloon  or  hotel  bar,  and 
who  sold  only  to  "  gentlemen,"  inflicted  much  greater 
injury  upon  the  community  than  a  dozen  common  grog- 
geries  —  which  he  abundantly  illustrated.  He  then  took 
up  the  "  moderate  drinker,"  and  urged  that  he  was  the 
great  stumbling-block  to  the  temperance  reform.  He 
it  was,  and  not  the  drunkard  in  the  ditch,  that  the  young 
man  looked  at  as  an  example  when  he  took  his  first 
glass.  That  when  the  drunkard  was  asked  to  sign  the 
pledge,  he  would  reply,  "  Why  should  I  do  so  1  What 
harm  can  there  be  in  drinking,  when  such  men  as 
respectable  Mr.  A,  and  moral  Mr.  B  drink  wine  under 
their  own  roof  ?  "  He  urged  that  the  higher  a  man  stood 
in  the  community,  the  greater  was  his  influence  either 
for  good  or  for  evil.  He  said  to  the  moderate  drinker : 
"  Sir,  you  either  do  or  you  do  not  consider  it  a  privation 
and  a  sacrifice  to  give  up  drinking.  Which  is  it  ?  If 
you  say  that  you  can  drink  or  let  it  alone,  that  you  can 
quit  it  forever  without  considering  it  a  self-denial,  then 
I  appeal  to  you  as  a  man,  to  do  it  for  the  sake  of  your 
suffering  fellow-beings."  He  further  argued  that  if  it 
was  a  self-denial  to  give  up  wine-drinking,  then  cer 
tainly  the  man  should  stop,  for  he  was  in  danger  of 
becoming  a  drunkard. 

What  Doctor  Chapin  said  produced  a  deep  impres 
sion  upon  my  mind,  and  after  a  night  of  anxious 
thought,  I  rose  in  the  morning,  took  my  champagne  bot 
tles,  knocked  off  their  heads,  and  poured  their  contents 
upon  the  ground.  I  then  called  upon  Doctor  Chapin, 
asked  him  for  the  teetotal  pie  ge,  and  signed  it.  He 
was  greatly  surprised  in  disc-  vering  that  I  was  not 
already  a  teetotaler.  He  supposed  such  was  the  case, 
from  the  fact  that  I  had  invited  him  to  lecture,  and  he 


PUBLIC  LECTURING.  687 

little  thought,  at  the  time  of  his  delivering  it,  that  his 
argument  to  the  moderate  drinker  was  at  all  applicable 
to  me.  I  felt  that  I  had  ROW  a  duty  to  perform,  —  to 
save  others,  as  I  had  been  saved,  and  on  the  very  morn 
ing  when  I  signed  the  pledge,  I  obtained  over  twenty 
signatures  in  Bridgeport.  I  talked  temperance  to  all 
whom  I  met,  and  very  soon  commenced  lecturing  upon 
the  subject  in  the  adjacent  towns  and  villages.  I  spent 
the  entire  winter  and  spring  of  1851-2  in  lecturing 
through  my  native  State,  always  travelling  at  my  own 
expense,  and  I  was  glad  to  know  that  I  aroused  many 
hundreds,  perhaps  thousands,  to  the  importance  of  the 
temperance  reform.  I  also  lectured  frequently  in  the 
cities  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  as  well  as  in  other 
towns  in  the  neighboring  States. 

While  in  Boston  with  Jenny  Lind,  I  was  earnestly 
solicited  to  deliver  two  temperance  lectures  in  the 
Tremont  Temple,  where  she  gave  her  concerts.  I  did 
so ;  and  though  an  admission  fee  was  charged  for  the 
benefit  of  a  benevolent  society,  the  building  on  each 
occasion  was  crowded.  In  the  course  of  my  tour  with 
Jenny  Lind,  I  was  frequently  solicited  to  lecture  on 
temperance  on  evenings  when  she  did  not  sing.  I  always 
complied  when  it  was  in  my  power.  In  this  way  I  lec 
tured  in  Baltimore, Washington,  Charleston,  New  Orleans, 
Cincinnati,  St.  Louis,  and  other  cities .  also  in  the  ladies" 
saloon  of  the  steamer  Lexington,  on  Suiiday  morning. 
In  August,  1853,  I  lectured  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and 
several  other  towns,  and  afterwards  in  Chicago,  Illi 
nois,  and  in  Kenosha,  Wisconsin.  An  election  was  to 
be  held  in  Wisconsin  in  October,  and  the  friends  of 
prohibition  in  fliat  State  solicited  my  services  for  the 
ensuing  month,  and  I  could  not  refuse  them.  I  there- 


688  PUBLIC  LECTURING. 

fore  hastened  home  to  transact  some  business  which 
required  my  presence  for  a  few  days,  and  then  returned, 
and  lectured  on  my  way  in  Toledo,  Norwalk,  Ohio,  and 
Chicago,  Illinois.  I  made  the  tour  of  the  State  of  Wis 
consin,  delivering  two  lectures  per  day  for  four  consecu 
tive  weeks,  to  crowded  and  attentive  audiences. 

My  lecture  in  New  Orleans,  when  I  was  in  that  city, 
was  in  the  great  Lyceum  Hall,  in  St.  Charles  Street,  and 
I  lectured  by  the  invitation  of  Mayor  Grossman  and 
several  other  influential  gentlemen.  The  immense  hall 
contained  more  than  three  thousand  auditors,  including 
the  most  respectable  portion  of  the  New  Orleans  public. 
I  was  in  capital  humor,  and  had  warmed  myself  into  a. 
pleasant  state  of  excitement,  feeling  that  the  audience 
was  with  me.  While  in  the  midst  of  an  argument  illus 
trating  the  poisonous  and  destructive  nature  of  alcohol 
to  the  animal  economy,  some  opponent  called  out,  "  How 
does  it  affect  us,  externally  or  internally  ? " 

"Internally,"  I  replied. 

I  have  scarcely  ever  heard  more  tremendous  merri 
ment  than  that  which  followed  this  reply,  and  the  ap 
plause  was  so  prolonged  that  it  was  some  minutes 
before  I  could  proceed. 

On  the  first  evening  when  I  lectured  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  (it  was  in  the  Baptist  Church,)  I  commenced  in 
thiswise:  "If  there  are  any  ladies  or  gentlemen  pre 
sent  who  have  never  suffered  in  consequence  of  the  use 
of  intoxicating  drinks  as  a  beverage,  either  directly,  or 
in  the  person  of  a  dear  relative  or  friend,  I  will  thank 
them  to  rise."  A  man  with  a  tolerably  glowing  coun- 
nance  arose.  "  Had  you  never  a  friend  who  was  intem 
perate  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Never !  "  was  the  positive  reply. 


PUBLIC  LECTURING.  689 

A  giggle  ran  through  the  opposition  portion  of  the 
audience.  "  Really,  my  friends,"  I  said,  "  I  feel  con 
strained  to  make  a  proposition  which  I  did  not  antici 
pate.  I  am,  as  you  are  all  aware,  a  showman,  and  I  am 
always  on  the  lookout  for  curiosities.  This  gentleman 
is  a  stranger  to  me,  but  if  he  will  satisfy  me  to-morrow 
morning  that  he  is  a  man  of  credibility,  and  that  no 
friend  of  his  was  ever  intemperate,  I  will  be  glad  to 
engage  him  for  ten  weeks  at  $200  per  week,  to  exhibit 
him  in  my  American  Museum  in  New  York,  as  the 
greatest  curiosity  in  this  country." 

A  laugh  that  was  a  laugh  followed  this  announce 
ment. 

"They  may  laugh,  but  it  is  a  fact,"  persisted  my 
opponent  with  a  look  of  dogged  tenacity. 

"  The  gentleman  still  insists  that  it  is  a  fact,"  I  replied. 
"  I  would  like,  therefore,  to  make  one  simple  qualifica 
tion  to  my  offer,  I  made  it  on  the  supposition  that,  at 
some  period  of  his  life,  he  had  friends.  Now  if  he 
never  had  any  friends,  I  withdraw  my  offer  ;  otherwise, 
I  will  stick  to  it." 

This,  and  the  shout  of  laughter  that  ensued,  was  too 
much  for  the  gentleman,  and  he  sat  down.  I  noticed 
throughout  my  speech  that  he  paid  strict  attention,  and 
frequently  indulged  in  a  hearty  laugh.  At  the  close  of 
the  lecture  he  approached  me,  and  extending  his  hand, 
which  I  readily  accepted,  he  said,  "  I  was  particularly 
green^in  rising  to-night.  Having  once  stood  up,  I  was 
determined  not  to  be  put  down,  but  your  last  remark 
fixed  me  !  "  He  then  complimented  me  very  highly  on 
the  reasonableness  of  my  arguments,  and  declared  that 
ever  afterwards  he  would  be  found  on  the  side  of  tem 
perance. 


690  PUBLIC  LECTURING. 

Among  the  most  gratifying  incidents  of  my  life  have 
been  several  of  a  similar  nature  to  the  following  :  After 
a  temperance  speech  in  Philadelphia,  a  man  about  thirty 
years  of  age  came  forward,  signed  the  teetotal  pledge, 
and  then,  giving  me  his  hand,  he  said,  "  Mr.  Barnum, 
you  have  this  night  saved  me  from  ruin.  For  the  last 
two  years  I  have  been  in  the  habit  of  tippling,  and  it 
has  kept  me  continually  under  the  harrow.  This  gen 
tleman  (pointing  to  a  person  at  his  side)  is  my  partner 
in  business,  and  I  know  he  is  glad  I  have  signed  the 
pledge  to-night." 

"  Yes,  indeed  I  am,  George,  and  it  is  the  best  thing 
you  ever  did,"  replied  his  partner,  "  if  you'll  only  stick 
to  it." 

"  That  will  I  do  till  the  day  of  my  death ;  and  won't 
my  dear  little  wife  Mary  cry  for  joy  to-night,  when  I 
tell  her  what  I  have  done  !  "  he  exclaimed  in  great  exulta 
tion.  At  that  moment  he  was  a  happy  man,  but  he 
could  not  have  been  more  so  than  I  was. 

Sir  William  Don  —  who  came  to  this  country  and 
acted  in  several  theatres,  afterwards  going  to  Australia, 
and  dying,  I  believe,  soon  after  his  return  to  England  — 
once  heard  me  lecture,  and  immediately  afterwards 
came  forward  and  signed  the  pledge.  He  kept  it  for  a 
short  period  only,  although  when  he  signed,  he  said  that 
strong  drink  was  the  bane  of  his  life.  It  is  the  one 
bane  of  too  many  brilliant  men,  who  but  for  this  one 
misfortune  might  attain  almost  every  desirable  Access 
in  life. 

I  may  add,  that  I  have  lectured  in  Montreal,  Canada, 
and  many  towns  and  cities  in  the  United  States,  at  my 
own  expense.  One  of  the  greatest  consolations  I  now 
enjoy  is  that  of  believing  I  have  carried  happiness  to 


PUBLIC  LECTURING.  691 

the  bosom  of  many  a  family.  In  the  course  of  my  life 
I  have  written  much  for  newspapers,  on  various  sub 
jects,  and  always  with  earnestness,  but  in  none  of  these 
have  I  felt  so  deep  an  interest  as  in  that  of  the  temper 
ance  reform.  Were  it  not  for  this  fact,  I  should  be 
reluctant  to  mention,  that  besides  numerous  articles  for 
the  daily  and  weekly  press,  I  wrote  a  little  tract  on 
"  The  Liquor  Business,"  which  expresses  my  practical 
view  of  the  use  and  traffic  in  intoxicating  drinks.  In 
every  one  of  my  temperance  lectures  since  the  begin 
ning  of  the  year  1869,  I  have  regularly  read  the  follow 
ing  report,  made  by  Mr.  T.  T.  Cortis,  Overseer  of  the 
Poor  in  Vineland,  New  Jersey  : 

Though  we  have  a  population  of  10,000  people,  for  the  period  of  six  months  no 
settler  or  citizen  of  Vineland  has  required  relief  at  my  hands  as  Overseer  of  the 
Poor.  Within  seventy  days,  there  has  only  been  one  case  among  what  we  call 
the  floating  population,  at  the  expense  of  $4.00.  During  the  entire  year,  there 
has  only  been  but  one.  indictment,  and  that  a  trifling  case  of  assault  and  battery, 
among  our  colored  population.  So  few  are  the  fires  in  Vineland,  that  we  have  no 
need  of  a  fire  department.  There  has  only  been  one  house  burnt  down  in  a  year, 
and  two  slight  fires,  which  were  soon  put  out.  We  practically  have  no  debt,  and 
our  taxes  are  only  one  per  cent  on  the  valuation.  The  police  expenses  of  Vine- 
land  amount  to  $75.00  per  year,  the  sum  paid  to  me;  and  our  poor  expenses  a 
mere  trifle.  I  ascribe  this  remarkable  state  of  things,  so  nearly  approaching  the 
golden  age,  to  the  industry  of  our  people,  and  the  absence  of  King  Alcohol.  Let 
me  give  you,  in  contrast  to  this,  the  state  of  things  in  the  town  from  which  I 
came,  in  uSTew  England.  The  population  of  the  town  was  9,500  —  a  little  less 
than  that  of  Vineland.  It  maintained  forty  liquor  shops.  These  kept  busy  a 
police  judge,  city  marshal,  assistant  marshal,  four  night  watchmen,  six  police 
men.  Fires  were  almost  continual.  That  small  place  maintained  a  paid  fire 
department,  of  four  companies,  of  forty  men  each,  at  an  expense  of  $3,000.00  per 
annum.  I  belonged  to  this  department  for  six  years,  and  the  fires  averaged  about 
one  every  two  weeks,  and  mostly  incendiary.  The  support  of  the  poor  cost 
$2,500.00  per  annum.  The  debt  of  the  township  was  $120,000.00.  The  condition 
of  things  in  this  New  England  town  is  as  favorable  in  that  country  as  that  of 
many  other  places  where  liquor  is  sold. 

It  seems  to  me  that  there  is  an  amount  of  overwhelm 
ing  testimony  and  unanswerable  argument  in  this  one 
brief  extract,  that  makes  it  in  itself  one  of  the  most  per 
fect  and  powerful  temperance  lectures  ever  written. 


lbffh'l| 

'I 


CHAPTER    XLIII. 


"T  f; ; " 
THE  KEW  MUSEUM. 

A  GIGANTIC  AMUSEMENT  COMPANY  —  IMMENSE  ADDITIONS  TO  THE  NEW  COL 
LECTION  —  CURIOSITIES  FROM  EVERYWHERE  —  THE  GORDON  CUMMINGS 
COLLECTION  FROM  AFRICA  —  THE  GORILLA  —  WHAT  THE  PAPERS  SAID  ABOUT 
THE  MONSTER  —  MY  PRIVATE  VIEW  OF  THE  ANIMAL — AMUSING  INTER 
VIEW  WITH  PAUL  DU  CHAILLU  —  A  SUPERB  MENAGERIE  —  THE  NEW 
THEATRE  —  PROJECT  FOR  A  FREE  NATIONAL  INSTITUTION  —  MESSRS.  E.  D. 
MORGAN,  WILLIAM  C.  BRYANT,  HORACE  GREELEY  AND  OTHERS  FAVOR  MY 
PLAN  —  PRESIDENT  JOHNSON  INDORSES  IT  —  DESTRUCTION  OF  MY  SECOND) 
MUSEUM  BY  FIRE — THE  ICE-CLAD  RUINS  —  A  SAD,  YET  SPLENDID  SPECTA 
CLE  —  OUT  OF  THE  BUSINESS  —  FOOT  RACES  AT  THE  WHITE  MOUNTAINS  -  - 
HOW  I  WAS  NOT  BEATEN — OPENING  OF  WOOD'S  MUSEUM  IN  NEW  YORK 
— MY  ONLY  INTEREST  IN  THE  ENTERPRISE. 

MY  new  Museum  on  Broadway  was  liberally  patron 
ized  from  the  start,  but  I  felt  that  still  more  attractions 
were  necessary  in  order  to  insure  constant  success.  I 
therefore  made  arrangements  with  the  renowned  Van 
Amburgh  Menagerie  Company  to  unite  their  entire  col 
lection  of  living  wild  animals  with  the  Museum.  The 
new  company  was  known  as  the  "  Barnum  and  Van 
Amburgh  Museum  and  Menagerie  Company,"  and  as 
such  was  chartered  by  the  Connecticut  Legislature,  the 
New  York  Legislature  having  refused  us  a  charter 
unless  I  would  "  see  "  the  "  ring  "  a  thousand  dollars' 
worth,  which  I  declined.  I  owned  forty  per  cent  and 
the  Van  Amburgh  Company  held  the  remaining  sixty 
per  cent  in  the  new  enterprise,  which  comprehended  a 
large  travelling  menagerie  through  the  country  in  sum 
mer,  and  the  placing  of  the  wild  animals  in  the 


THE  NEW  MUSEUM.  693 

in  winter.  The  capital  of  the  company  was  one  million 
of  dollars,  with  the  privilege  of  doubling  the  amount. 
As  one  of  the  conditions  of  the  new  arrangement,  it  was 
stipulated  that  I  should  withdraw  from  all  active  personal 
attention  to  the  Museum,  but  should  permit  my  name 
to  be  announced  as  General*  Manager,  and  I  was  also 
elected  President  of  the  company.  This  arrangement 
gave  me  the  comparative  tranquillity  which  I  now  began 
to  desire.  I  spent  most  of  my  time  in  Bridgeport, 
except  in  winter,  when  I  resided  in  New  York.  I  usually 
visited  the  Museum  about  once  a  week,  but  sometimes 
was  absent  for  several  months. 

Meanwhile,  immense  additions  were  made  to  the  curi 
osity  departments  of  the  new  Museum.  Every  penny 
of  the  profits  of  this  Museum  and  of  the  two  immense 
travelling  menageries  of  wild  animals  was  expended  in 
procuring  additional  attractions  for  our  patrons.  Among 
other  valuable  novelties  introduced  in  this  establishment 
was  the  famous  collection  made  by  the  renowned  lion- 
slayer,  Gordon  Cummings.  This  was  purchased  for  me 
by  my  faithful  friend,  Mr.  George  A.  Wells,  who  was 
then  travelling  in  Great  Britain  with  General  Tom 
Thumb.  The  collection  consisted  of  many  hundreds  of 
skins,  tusks,  heads  and  skeletons  of  nearly  every  species 
of  African  animal,  including  numerous  rare  specimens 
never  before  exhibited  on  this  continent.  It  was  a  great 
Museum  in  itself,  and  as  such  had  attracted  much  atten 
tion  in  London  and  elsewhere,  but  it  was  a  mere  addi 
tion  to  our  Museum  and  Menagerie ;  and  was  exhibited 
without  extra  charge  for  admission. 

In  the  summer  of  1867,  I  saw  in  several  New  York 
papers  a  thrilling  account  of  an  immense  gorilla,  which 
had  arrived  from  Africa  in  charge  of  Barnum's  agent, 


694  THE  NEW  MUSEUM. 

for  the  Barnum  and  Van  Amburgh  Company.  The 
accounts  described  the  removal  of  the  savage  animal  in 
a  strong  iron  cage  from  the  ship,  and  his  transportation 
up  Broadway  to  the  museum.  His  cries  and  roarings 
were  said  to  have  been  terrible,  and  when  he  was  taken 
into  the  menagerie,  he  was  reported  to  have  bent  the 
heavy  iron  bars  of  his  cage,  and  in  his  rage  to  have 
seized  a  poker  which  was  thrust  at  him,  and  to  have 
twisted  it  as  if  it  had  been  a  bit  of  wire.  Nothing  so 
startlingly  sensational  in  the  line  of  zoological  descrip 
tion  had  appeared  since  the  Tribune's  famous  report  of 
the  burning  of  the  American  Museum,  in  1865. 

For  several  years  I  had  been  trying  to  secure  such  an 
animal,  and  several  African  travellers  had  promised  to 
do  their  best  to  procure  one  for  me  ;  and  I  had  offered 
as  high  as  $20,000  for  the  delivery  in  New  York  of  a 
full-grown,  healthy  gorilla.  From  the  minute  descrip 
tion  now  given  by  the  reporters,  I  was  convinced  that, 
at  last,  the  long-sought  prize  had  been  secured.  I  was 
greatly  elated,  and  at  once  wrote  from  Bridgeport  to  our 
manager,  Mr.  Ferguson,  advising  him  how  to  exhibit  the 
valuable  animal,  and  particularly  how  to  preserve  its  pre 
cious  life  as  long  as  might  be  possible.  I  have  owned 
many  ourang-outangs,  and  all  of  them  die  ultimately  of 
pulmonary  disease  ;  indeed,  it  is  difficult  to  keep  speci 
mens  of  the  monkey  tribe  through  the  winter  in  our 
climate,  on  account  of  their  tendency  to  consumption. 
I  therefore  advised  Mr.  Ferguson  to  have  a  cage  so  con 
structed  that  no  draught  of  air  could  pass  through  it,  and 
I  further  instructed  him  in  methods  of  guarding  against 
the  gorilla's  taking  cold. 

A  few  days  later  I  went  to  New  York  expressly  to 
see  the  gorilla,  and  on  visiting  the  Museum,  I  was  vexed 


THE  NEW  MUSEUM.  695 

beyond  measure  to  find  that  the  animal  was  simply  a 
huge  baboon !  He  was  chained  down,  so  that  he  could 
not  stand  erect,  nor  turn  his  back  to  visitors.  His 
keeper  could  easily  irritate  him,  and  when  the  animal 
was  excited,  he  would  seize  the  iron  bars  with  both 
hands,  and,  uttering  horrid  screams,  would  shake  the 
cage  so  fiercely  that  it  could  be  heard  and  "  felt "  in 
the  adjoining  saloons.  No  doubt  many  of  the  visitors 
recalled  Du  Chaillu's  accounts  of  the  genuine  gorilla, 
and  were  convinced  that  the  veritable  animal  was  before 
them.  But  I  had  been  too  long  in  the  business  to  be 
caught  by  such  chaff,  and  approaching  the  keeper,  I 
asked  him  why  he  did  not  lengthen  the  chain,  so  that 
the  animal  could  stand  up  ] 

"Because,  if  I  do,  he  will  show  his  tail,"  the  keeper 
confidentially  whispered  in  my  ear. 

The  imposition  was  so  silly  and  transparent  that  I 
did  not  care  how  soon  it  was  exposed.  As  usual,  how 
ever,  I  looked  at  the  funny  side  of  the  matter,  and 
immediately  enclosed  a  ticket  to  my  friend  Mr.  Paul  Du 
Chaillu,  who  was  then  stopping  at  the  Fifth  Avenue 
Hotel,  at  the  same  time  writing  to  the  great  African 
traveller,  that,  much  as  he  had  donea  the  Barnum  and 
Van  Amburgh  Company  had  done  more,  since  he  had 
only  killed  gorillas,  while  we  had  secured  a  living  one, 
and  brought  the  monster  safely  from  Africa  to  America. 
I  informed  him,  moreover,  that  all  the  gorillas  he  had 
seen  and  described  were  tailless,  while  our  far  more 
remarkable  specimen  had  a  tail  full  four  feet  long ! 

Mr.  Du  Chaillu  came  into  the  Museu*n  that  afternoon, 
in  great  glee,  with  my  open  letter  in  his  hand, 

"  Ah,  Mr.  Barnum,"  he  exclaimed,  "  this  is  the  fun 
niest  letter  I  ever  received.  Of  course,  you  know  your 


696  THE  NEW  MUSEUM. 

gorilla '  is  no  gorilla  at  all,  but  only  a  baboon.  I  will 
not  look  at  him,  for  when  people  ask  me  about  '  Bar- 
num's  gorilla,'  I  prefer  to  be  able  to  say  that  I  have  not 
seen  him."  wiii 

"  On  the  contrary,"  said  I,  "  I  particularly  desire  that 
you  should  see  the  animal,  and  expose  it.  The  imposi 
tion  is  too  ridiculous." 

"  True ;  but  I  think  your  letter  is  more  curious  than 
your  animal." 

"  Then  I  give  you  full  leave  to  read  the  letter  to  all 
who  ask  you  about  the  'gorilla.' ' 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Du  Chaillu,  "  and  I  wish  you 
would  let  me  read  it  in  my  lectures  at  the  West,  where 
I  am  soon  going  on  a  tour." 

I  consented  that  he  should  do  so,  and  I  afterwards 
heard  that  he  was  delighting  as  well  as  enlightening 
western  audiences  on  the  subject  of  Manager  Ferguson's 
management  of  the  great  "  gorilla  "  in  the  Barnum  and 
Van  Amburgh  Museum  and  Menagerie. 

The  menagerie  of  living  animals  was  superior  in 
extent  to  any  other  similar  collection  in  America, 
embracing,  as  it  did,  almost  every  description  of  wild 
animal  ever  exhibited,  including  the  smallest  African 
elephant,  and  the  only  living  giraffe  then  in  the  United 
States.  The  collection  of  lions  and  royal  Bengal  tigers 
was  superb.  There  was  a  cage  full  of  young  lions  that 
attracted  great  attention,  and  the  whole  menagerie  was 
an  exceedingly  valuable  one.  When  I  say  that  to  these 
attractions  was  added  an  able  dramatic  company,  which 
performed  every  afternoon  and  evening,  and  that  the 
admission  to  the  entire  establishment  was  but  thirty 
cents,  with  no  extra  charge,  except  for  a  few  front  seats 
and  private  boxes,  it  is  no  wonder  that  this  immense 


TITE  NEW  MUSEUM.  697 

building,  five  stories  high,  and  covering  ground  seventy- 
five  by  two  hundred  feet  in  area,  was  thronged  "  from 
sunrise  to  ten  P.  M.,"  and  from  top  to  bottom,  with 
country  and  city  visitors,  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages. 
The  public  was  soon  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  facts ; 
first,  that  never  before  was  such  an  outlay  made  for  so 
great  an  assemblage  of  useful  and  amusing  attractions, 
combining  instruction  with  amusement,  and  thrown  open 
to  the  people  at  so  small  a  charge  for  admission  ;  and 
second,  that  the  surest  way  of  deriving  the  greatest 
profit,  in  the  long  run,  is  to  give  people  as  much  as 
possible  for  their  money.  That  these  facts  were  fully 
impressed  upon  our  patrons  is  instanced  in  the  monthly 
returns  made  to  the  United  States  Collector  of  Internal 
Revenue  for  the  district,  which  showed  that  our  receipts 
were  larger  than  those  of  Wallack's  Theatre,  Niblo's 
Garden,  or  any  other  theatre  or  place  of  amusement,  in 
New  York,  or  in  America. 

Anxious  to  gather  curiosities  from  every  quarter  of 
the  globe,  I  sent  Mr.  John  Greenwood,  junior,  (who  went 
for  me  to  the  isle  of  Cyprus  and  to  Constantinople,  in 
1864,)  on  the  "  Quaker  City"  excursion,  which  left  New 
York  June  8,  1867,  and  returned  in  the  following  No 
vember.  During  his  absence  Mr.  Greenwood  travelled 
17,735  miles,  and  brought  back  several  interesting  relics 
from  the  Holy  Land,  which  were  duly  deposited  in  the 
Museum.' 

Very  soon  after  entering  upon  the  premises,  I  built  a 
new  and  larger  lecture  room,  which  was  one  of  the  most 
commodious  and  complete  theatres  in  New  York,  and  I 
largely  increased  the  dramatic  company.  Our  collection 
swelled  so  rapidly  that  we  were  obliged  to  extend  our 
premises  by  the  addition  of  another  building,  forty  by 
32 


698  THE  NEW  MUSEUM. 

one  hundred  feet,  adjoining  the  Museum.  This  addition 
gave  us  several  new  halls,  which  were  speedily  filled 
with  curiosities.  The  rapid  expansion  of  the  establish 
ment,  and  the  immense  interest  excited  in  the  public 
mind  led  me  to  consider  a  plan  I  had  long  contem 
plated,  of  taking  some  decided  steps  towards  the  founda 
tion  of  a  great  free  institution,  which  should  be  similar' 
to  and  in  some  respects  superior  to  the  British  Museum 
in  London.  "  The  Barnum  and  Van  Amburgh  Museum 
and  Menagerie  Company,"  chartered  with  a  capital  of 
12,000,000  had,  in  addition  to  the  New  York  establish, 
ment,  thirty  acres  of  land  in  Bridgeport,  whereon  it  was 
proposed  to  erect  suitable  buildings  and  glass  and  wire 
edifices  for  breeding  and  acclimating  rare  animals  and 
birds,  and  training  such  of  them  as  were  fit  for  public 
performances.  In  time,  a  new  building  in  New  York, 
covering  a  whole  square,  and  farther  up  town,  would  be 
needed  for  the  mammoth  exhibition,  and  I  was  not  with 
out  hopes  that  I  might  be  the  means  of  establishing 
permanently  in  the  city  an  extensive  zoological  garden, 
It  was  also  my  intention  ultimately  to  make  my  Mu 
seum  the  nucleus  of  a  great  free  national  institution. 
When  the  American  Museum  was  burned,  and  I  turned 
my  attention  to  the  collection  of  fresh  curiosities,  I  felt 
that  I  needed  other  assistance  than  that  of  my  own 
agents  in  America  and  Europe.  It  occurred  to  me  that 
if  our  government  representatives  abroad  would  but  use 
their  influence  to  secure  curiosities  in  the  respective 
countries  to  which  they  were  delegated,  a  free  public 
Museum  might  at  once  be  begun  in  New  York,  and  I 
proposed  to  offer  a  part  of  my  own  establishment  rent-free 
for  the  deposit  and  exhibition  of  such  rarities  as  might 
be  collected  in  this  way.  Accordingly,  a  week  after  the 


THE  NEW  MUSEUM.  699 

destruction  of  the  American  Museum,  a  memorial  was 
addressed  to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  asking 
him  to  give  his  sanction  to  the  new  effort  to  furnish  the 
means  of  useful  information  and  wholesome  amusement, 
and  to  give  such  instructions  to  public  officers  abroad 
as  would  enable  them,  without  any  conflict  with  their 
legitimate  duties,  to  give  efficiency  to  this  truly  national 
movement  for  the  advancement  of  the  public  good, 
without  cost  to  the  government.  This  memorial  was 
dated  July  20,  1865,  and  was  signed  by  Messrs.  E.  D. 
Morgan,  Moses  Taylor,  Abram  Wakeman,  Simeon  Dra 
per,  Moses  H.  Grinnell,  Stephen  Knapp,  Benjamin  R. 
Winthrop,  Charles  Gould,  Wm.  C.  Bryant,  James  Wads- 
worth,  Tunis  W..  Quick,  John  A.  Pitkin,  Willis  Gay- 
lord,  Prosper  M.  Wetmore,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  and 
Horace  Greeley.  This  memorial  was  in  due  time  pre 
sented,  and  was  indorsed  as  follows : 

"  EXECUTIVE  MANSION,  WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

April  27,  1866. 

The  purpase  set  forth  in  this  Memorial  is  highly  approved  and  commended, 
and  our  Ministers,  Consuls  and  commercial  agents  are  requested  to  give  whatever 
influence  in  carrying  out  the  object  within  stated  they  may  deem  compatible  with 
the  duties  of  their  respective  positions,  and  not  inconsistent  with  the  public 
interests.  ANDREW  JOHNSON." 

I  went  to  Washington  myself,  and  had  interviews 
with  the  President,  Secretaries  Seward,  McCulloch  and 
Welles,  and  also  with  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
G.  V.  Fox,  who  gave  me  several  muskets  and  other 
"  rebel  trophies."  During  my  stay  at  the  capital  I  had 
a  pleasant  interview  with  General  Grant,  who  told  me 
he  had  lately  visited  my  Museum  with  one  of  his  sons, 
and  had  been  greatly  gratified.  Upon  my  mentioning, 
among  other  projects,  that  I  had  an  idea  of  collecting 
the  hats  of  distinguished  individuals,  he  at  once  offered 
to  send  an  orderly  for  the  hat  he  had  worn  during  his 


700  THE  NEW  MUSEUM. 

principal  campaigns.  All  these  gentlemen  cordially 
approved  of  my  plan  for  the  establishment  of  a  National 
Museum  in  New  York. 

But  before  this  plan  could  be  put  into  effective  opera 
tion,  an  event  occurred  which  is  now  to  be  narrated : 
The  winter  of  1867-68  was  one  of  the  coldest  that  had 
been  known  for  years,  and  some  thirty  severe  snow 
storms  occurred  during  the  season.  On  Tuesday  morn 
ing,  March  3d,  1868,  it  was  bitter  cold.  A  heavy  body 
of  snow  was  on  the  ground,  and  as  I  sat  at  the  break 
fast  table  with  my  wife  and  an  esteemed  lady  guest,  the 
wife  of  my  excellent  friend  Rev.  A.  C.  Thomas,  I  read 
aloud  the  general  news  from  the  morning  papers. 
Leisurely  turning  to  the  local  columns,  I  said,  "  Hallo ! 
Barnum's  Museum  is  burned." 

"  Yes,"  said  my  wife,  with  an  incredulous  smile,  "  I 
suspect  it  is." 

46  It  is  a  fact,"  said  I,  "just  listen;  'Barnum's  Mu 
seum  totally  destroyed  by  fire.' " 

This  was  read  so  coolly,  and  I  showed  so  little  excite 
ment,  that  both  -of  the  ladies  supposed  I  was  joking. 
My  wife  simply  remarked : 

"Yes,  it  was  totally  destroyed  two  years  ago,  but 
Barnum  built  another  one." 

"  Yes,  and  that  is  burned,"  I  replied ;  "  now  listen," 
and  I  proceeded  very  calmly  to  read  the  account  of  the 
fire.  Mrs.  Thomas,  still  believing  from  my  manner  that 
it  was  a  joke,  stole  slyly  behind  my  chair,  and  looking 
over  my  shoulder  at  the  newspaper,  she  exclaimed  : 

44  Why,  Mrs.  Barnum,  the  Museum  is  really  burned. 
Here  is  the  whole  account  of  it  in  this  morning's  paper." 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  I  remarked,  with  a  smile,  "  how 
could  you  think  I  could  joke  on  such  a  serious  subject !  " 


THE  NEW  MUSEUM:.  701 

It  was  indeed  too  true,  and  the  subject  was  no  doubt 
"  serious  "  enough ;  in  fact  the  pecuniary  blow  was  per 
haps  even  heavier  than  the  loss  of  the  other  Museum, 
especially  as  there  was  probably  no  Bennett  around  who 
would  give  .me  $200,000  for  a  lease !  But  during  my 
whole  life  I  had  been  so  much  accustomed  to  operations 
of  magnitude  for  or  against  my  interests,  that  large 
losses  or  gains  were  not  apt  to  disturb  my  tranquillity. 
Indeed,  my  second  daughter  calling  in  soon  after,  and 
seeing  how  coolly  I  took  the  disaster,  said  that  her  hus 
band  had  remarked  that  morning,  "  Your  father  wont 
care  half  so  much  about  it  as  he  would  if  his  pocket 
had  been  picked  of  fifty  dollars.  That  would  have 
vexed  him,  but  he  will  take  this  heavier  loss  as  simply 
the  fortune  of  war." 

And  this  was  very  nearly  the  fact.  Yet  the  loss  was 
a  large  one,  and  the  complete  frustration  of  our  plans 
for  the  future  was  a  serious  consideration.  But  worse 
than  all  were  the  sufferings  of  the  poor  wild  animals 
which  were  burned  to  death  in  their  cages.  A  very  few 
only  of  these  animals  were  saved.  Even  the  people  who 
were  sleeping  in  the  building  barely  escaped  with  their 
lives,  and  next  to  nothing  else,  so  sudden  was  the  fire 
and  so  rapid  its  progress.  The  papers  of  the  following 
morning  contained  full  accounts  of  the  fire ;  and  editorial 
writers,  while  manifesting  much  sympathy  for  the 
proprietors,  also  expressed  profound  regret  that  so  mag 
nificent  a  collection,  especially  in  the  zoological  depart 
ment,  should  be  lost  to  the  city. 

The  cold  was  so  intense  that  the  water  froze  almost 
as  soon  as  it  left  the  hose  of  the  fire  engines ;  and  when 
at  last  everything  was  destroyed,  except  the  front 
granite  wall  of  the  Museum  building,  that  and  the  lacU 


702  THE  NEW  MUSEUM. 

der,  signs,  and  lamp-posts  in  front,  were  covered  in  a 
gorgeous  frame-work  of  transparent  ice,  which  made  it 
altogether  one  of  the  most  picturesque  scenes  imagin 
able.  Thousands  of  persons  congregated  daily  in  that 
locality  in  order  to  get  a  view  of  the  magnificent  ruins. 
By  moonlight  the  ice-coated  ruins  were  still  more  sub 
lime  ;  and  for  many  days  and  nights  the  old  Museum 
was  "  the  observed  of  all  observers,"  and  photographs 
were  taken  by  several  artists. 

When  the  Museum  was  burnt,  I  was  nearly  ready  to 
bring  out  a  new  spectacle,  for  which  a  very  large  extra 
company  had  been  engaged,  and  on  which  a  consider 
able  sum  of  money  had  been  expended  in  scenery,  prop 
erties,  costumes,  and  especially  in  enlarging  the  stage. 
I  had  expended  altogether  some  $78,000  in  building  the 
new  lecture-room,  and  in  refitting  the  saloons.  The 
curiosities  were  inventoried  by  the  manager,  Mr.  Fergu 
son,  at  $288,000.  I  bought  the  real  estate  only  a  little 
while  before  the  fire,  for  $460,000,  and  there  was  an 
insurance  on  the  whole  of  $160,000  ;  and  in  June,  1868, 
I  sold  the  lots  on  which  the  building  stood  for  $432,- 
000.  The  cause  of  the  fire  was  a  defective  flue  in  a 
restaurant  in  the  basement  of  the  building. 

Thus  by  the  destruction  of  Iranistan,  and  .two  Muse 
ums,  about  a  million  of  dollars'  worth  of  my  property  had 
been  destroyed  by  fire,  and  I  was  not  now  long  in  making 
up  my  mind  to  follow  Mr.  Greeley's  advice  on  a  former 
occasion,  to  "  take  this  fire  as  a  notice  to  quit,  and  go 
a-fishing." 

We  all  know  how  difficult  it  is  for  a  person  to  stop 
when  he  is  engaged  in  business,  and  how  seldom  it  is 
that  we  find  a  man  who  thinks  he  has  accumulated 
money  enough,  and  is  willing  to  cease  trying  to  make 


THE  NEW  MTTSETJM.  703 

more.  An  active  business  life,  like  everything  else, 
becomes  a  habit,  and  the  strife  for  success  in  business, 
through  all  the  changes  of  fortune,  and  ups  and  downs 
of  trade,  becomes  an  infatuation  akin  to  that  which 
spurs  the  gambler.  Hence,  men  often  pursue  their 
money-getting  occupations  long  after  the  necessity  there 
for  has  ceased.  Of  course,  by  wedding  themselves  to 
this  one  ambition  they  forego  many  of  the  higher  plea 
sures  of  life,  and  though  they  have  a  vague  idea  of  that 
"  good  time  coming,"  when  they  are  going  to  take  things 
easy  and  enjoy  themselves,  that  time  never  comes.  Men 
who  are  entirely  idle  are  the  most  miserable  creatures 
in  the  world ;  but  when  by  arduous  toil  they  have 
secured  a  competence,  and  especially  when  they  have 
reached  a  point  in  life  where  they  are  conscious  of  a 
waning  of  their  vital  energies,  we  must  admit  that  they 
are  unwise  if  they  do  not  slip  out  of  active  business,  and 
devote  a  large  portion  of  their  time  to  intellectual  pur 
suits,  social  enjoyments,  and,  if  they  have  not  done  so 
through  life,  to  serious  reflections  on  the  ends  and  aims 
of  human  existence. 

It  is,  perhaps,  possible  that  notwithstanding  the  active 
life  I  have  led,  I  have  after  all  a  lazy  streak  in  my  com 
position  ;  at  all  events,  I  confess  it  was  with  no  small 
degree  of  satisfaction  that  by  this  last  burning  of  the 
Museum,  notwithstanding  the  serious  pecuniary  loss  it 
proved  to  me,  I  discovered  a  way  open  through  which  I 
could  retire  to  a  more  quiet  and  tranquil  mode  of  life. 
I  therefore  at  once  dissolved  with  the  Van  Amburgh 
Company,  and  sold  out  to  them  all  my  interest  in  the 
personal  property  of  the  concern.  I  was,  however, 
beset  on  every  side  to  start  another  Museum,  and  men 
of  capital  offered  to  raise  a  million  of  dollars  if  neces- 

32* 


704  THE  NEW  MUSEUM. 

sary,  for  that  purpose,  provided  I  would  undertake  its 
management.  My  constant  reply  was,  "lead  me  not 
into  temptation."  I  felt  that  I  had  enough  to  live  on, 
and  I  earnestly  believed  the  doctrine  laid  down  in  my 
lecture  on  "  Money  Getting,"  in  regard  to  the  danger  of 
leaving  too  much  property  to  children. 

As  I  now  had  something  like  real  leisure  at  my  dis 
posal,  in  the  summer  of  1868  I  made  my  third  visit  to 
the  White  Mountains.  To  me,  the  locality  and  scene 
are  ever  fresh  and  ever  wonderful.  From  the  top  of 
Mount  Washington,  one  can  see  on  every  side  within  a 
radius  of  forty  miles  peaks  piled  on  peaks,  with  smiling 
valleys  here  and  there  between,  and.  on  a  very  clear 
day,  the  Atlantic  Ocean  off  Portland,  Maine,  is  distinctly 
visible  —  sixty  miles  away.  Beauty,  grandeur,  sub 
limity,  and  the  satisfaction  of  almost  every  sense  com 
bine  to  remind  one  of  the  ejaculation  of  that  devout 
English  soul  who  exclaims  :  "  Look  around  with  pleas 
ure,  and  upward  with  gratitude." 

At  the  Profile  House,  near  the  Notch,  in  the  Franco- 
nia  range,  I  met  many  acquaintances,  some  of  whom 
had  been  there  with  their  families  for  several  weeks. 
When  tired  of  scenery-hunting  and  hill-climbing,  and 
thrown  entirely  upon  their  own  resources,  they  had 
invented  a  "sell"  which  they  perpetrated  upon  every 
new-comer.  Naturally  enough,  as  I  was  considered  a 
capital  subject  for  their  fun,  before  I  had  been  there 
half  an  hour  they  had  made  all  the  arrangements  to 
take  me  in.  The  "  sell "  consisted  in  getting  up  a  foot 
race  in  which  all  were  to  join,  and  at  the  word  "go" 
the  contestants  were  to  start  and  run  across  the  open 
space  in  front  of  the  hotel  to  a  fence  opposite,  while  the 
last  man  who  should  touch  the  rail  must  treat  the  crowd. 


THE  NEW  MUSEUM.  705 

Of  course,  no  one  touched  the  rail  at  all,  except  the  vic 
tim,  I  suspected  no  trick,  but  tried  to  avoid  the  race, 
urging  in  excuse  that  I  was  too  old,  too  corpulent,  and 
besides,  as  they  knew,  I  was  a  teetotaler  and  would  not 
drink  their  liquor. 

"  Oh,  drink  lemonade,  if  you  like,"  they  said,  "  but 
no  backing  out ;  and  as  for  corpulence,  here  is  Stephen, 
our  old  stage-driver,  who  weighs  three  hundred,  and  he 
shall  run  with  the  rest." 

And  in  good  truth,  Stephen,  in  a  warm  day  especially, 
would  be  likely  to  "  run  "  with  the  best  of  them ;  but  I 
did  not  know  then  that  Stephen  was  the  stool-pigeon 
whom  they  kept  to  entrap  unwary  and  verdant  youths 
like  myself;  so  looking  at  his  portly  form  I  at  once 
agreed  that  if  Stephen  ran  I  would,  as  I  knew  that  for 
a  stout  man  I  was  pretty  quick  on  my  feet.  Accordingly, 
at  the  word  "  go,"  I  started  and  ran  as  if  the  traditional 
enemy  of  mankind  were  in  me  or  after  me,  but  before  I 
had  accomplished  half  the  distance,  I  wondered  why  at 
least,  one  or  two  of  the  crowd  had  not  outstripped  me, 
for,  in  fact.  Stephen  was  the  only  one  whom  I  expected 
to  beat.  Looking  back  and  at  once  comprehending  the 
"  sell,"  I  decided  not  to  be  sold.  A  correspondent  of 
the  New  York  Sun  told  how  I  escaped  the  trick  and  the 
penalty,  and  how  I  subsequently  paid  off  the  tricksters > 
in  a  letter  from  which  I  quote  the  following : 

"  Barnum  threw  up  his  hands  before  arriving  at  the  railing,  and  did  not  touch 
ii  at  all!  It  was  acknowledged  on  all  sides  that  the  'biters  were  bit.'  'But 
you  ran  well,'  said  those  who  intended  the  'sell.'  'Yes,'  replied  Barnum  in 
high  glee,  '  1  ran  better  than  I  did  for  Congress;  but  I  was  not  green  enough  to 
touch  the  rail!*  Of  courso  a  roar  of  laughter  followed,  and  the  'sellers'  re 
solved  to  try  the  game  the  next  morning  on  some  other  new-comer;  but  their 
luck  had  evidently  deserted  them,  for  the  next  man  also  '  smelt  a  rat,'  and  hold 
ing  up  his  hands  refused  to  touch  the  rail.  The  two  successive  failures  dampened 
the  ardor  of  the  ''sellers,"  and  they  relinquished  that  trick  as  a  bad  job.  But  the 
way  Barnum  sold  nearly  the  whole  crowd  of  '  sellers,'  in  detail,  on  the  following 
afternoon,  by  the  old  '  sliver  trick,1  was  a  caution  to  sore  sides.  So  much,  laugh- 


706  THE  NEW  MUSEUM. 

ing  in  one  day  was  probably  never  before  done  in  that  locality.  One  after  another 
succeeded  in  extracting  from  the  palm  of  Barnum's  hand  what  each  at  first  sup 
posed  was  a  tormenting  '  sliver,'  but  which  turned  out  to  be  a  '  broom  splinter ' 
a  foot  long  which  was  hidden  up  B.'s  sleeve,  except  the  small  point  which  appeared 
from  under  the  end  of  his  thumb,  apparently  protruding  from  under  the  skin  of 
his  palm.  One  '  weak  brother '  nearly  fainted  as  he  saw  come  forth  some  twelve 
inches  of  what  he  at  first  supposed  was  a  '  sliver,'  but  which  he  was  now  thoroughly 
convinced  was  one  of  the  nerves  from  Barnum's  arm.  Mr.  O'Brien,  the  Wall 
Street  banker,  was  the  first  victim.  When  asked  what  he  thought  upon  seeing 
such  a  long  '  sliver'  coming  from  Barnum's  hand,  he  solemnly  replied, '  I  thought 
he  was  a  dead  man!'  It  was  acknowledged  by  all  that  Barnum  gave  them  '«. 
world  of  'fun,'  and  that  he  and  his  friends  left  the  Profile  House  with  fiyinf 
colors." 

During  the  year,  Mr.  George  Wood,  a  most  successful 
and  enterprising  manager,  had  been  engaged  in  en 
larging  and  refitting  Banvard's  building,  at  the  corner 
of  Broadway  and  Thirteenth  Street,  for  a  Museum  and 
theatre ;  and  wishing  to  avoid  my  competition  in  the 
business,  he  proposed,  that  for  a  consideration,  to  be 
governed  to  some  degree  by  the  receipts,  I  should  bind 
myself  to  have  no  other  interest  in  any  Museum  or 
place  of  amusement  in  New  York,  and  that  I  should 
give  him  the  benefit  of  my  experience,  influence  and 
information,  and  thus  aid  in  advancing  his  interests  and 
in  building  up  and  carrying  out  his  enterprise.  His  prop 
osition  fully  met  my  views,  and  I  accepted  it.  Without 
incurring  risk  or  responsibility,  I  could  occupy  portions 
of  my  time,  which  otherwise,  perhaps,  might  drag  heavily 
on  my  hands  ;  my  mind  especially  would  be  employed 
in  matters  with  which  I  was  familiar,  and  I  might 
gratify  my  desire  to  assist  in  catering  to  the  healthful, 
wholesome  amusement  of  the  rising  generation  and  the 
public.  I  should  not  rust  out ;  and,  moreover,  the  new 
museum  would  afford  me  a  pleasant  place  to  drop  into 
when  I  felt  inclined  to  do  so.  Nothing  in  this  arrange 
ment  compelled  my  presence  in  New  York,  or  even  in. 
the  United  States ;  I  could  go  when  and  where  I 


THE  NEW  MUSEUM.  707 

chose,  and  could  continue  to  be,  as  I  hope  to  be  for  the 
rest  of  my  life,  "  a  man  of  leisure,"  which  in  my  case, 
and  according  to  my  construction,  is  far  from  being  a 
man  of  idleness. 

While  I  was  at  the  White  Mountains,  I  received  a 
telegram  from  Mr.  George  Wood,  stating  that  he  could 
not  consider  his  list  of  curiosities  complete  unless  I 
would  consent  to  be  present  at  the  opening  of  his  Mu 
seum,  and  I  accordingly  waived  all  my  chances  in  any 
intended  foot  races,  and  hastened  to  New  York,  making 
at  Mr.  Wood's  request  the  opening  address  in  his  new 
establishment,  August  31,  1868. 


j  CHAPTER  XLIV. 

CURIOUS  COINCIDENCES.  —  NUMBER  THIRTEEN. 

POPULAR  SUPERSTITIONS  —  UNLUCKY  FRIDAY  —  UNFORTUNATE  SATURDAY  — 
RAINY  SUNDAYS — TERRIBLE  THIRTEEN  —  THE  BRETTELLS  OF  LONDON  —  IN 
CIDENTS  OF  MY  WESTERN  TRIP  —  SINGULAR  FATALITY— NUMBER  THIRTEEN 
'  IN  EVERY  HOTEL — NO  ESCAPE  FROM  THE  FRIGHTFUL  FIGURE— ADVICE  OF 
A  'CLERICAL  FRIEND  —  THE  THIRTEEN  COLONIES  —  THE  THIRTEENTH  CHAPTER 
OF  CORINTHIANS — THIRTEEN  AT  MY  CHRISTMAS  DINNER  PARTY  —  THIRTEKN 
DOLLARS  AT  A  FAIR  —  TAVO  DISASTROUS  DAYS  —  THE  THIRTEENTH  DAY  IN 
TWO  MONTHS  —  THIRTEEN  PAGES  OF  MANUSCRIPT. 

IN  the  summer  of  1868,  a  lady  who  happened  to  be 
at  that  time  an  inmate  of  my  family,  upon  hearing  me 
say  that  I  supposed  we  must  remove  into  our  summer 
.residence  on  Thursday,  because  our  servants  might  not 
like  to  go  on  Friday,  remarked : 

"  What  nonsense  that  is  !    It  is  astonishing  that  some 

O 

persons  are  so  foolish  as  to  think  there  is  any  difference 
in  the  days.  I  call  it  rank  heathenism  to  be  so  supersti 
tious  as  to  think  one  day  is  lucky  and  another  unlucky" ; 
and  then,  in  the  most  innocent  manner  possible,  she 
added :  "I  would  not  like  to  remove  on  a  Saturday 
myself,  for  they  say  people  who  remove  on  the  last  day 
of  the  week  don't  stay  long." 

Of  course  this  was  too  refreshing  a  case  of  undoubted 
superstition  to  be  permitted  to  pass  without  a  hearty 
laugh  from  all  who  heard  it. 

I  suppose  most  of  us  have  certain  superstitions,  im 
bibed  in  our  youth,  and  still  lurking  more  or  less  faintly 
in  our  minds.  Many  would  not  like  to  acknowledge 


CUBIOUS  COINCIDENCES.— NUMBEK  THIBTEEK         709 

that  they  had  any  choice  whether  they  commenced  a 
new  enterprise  on  a  Friday  or  on  a  Monday,  or  whether 
they  first  saw  the  new  moon  over  the  right  or  left 
shoulder.  And  yet,  perhaps,  a  large  portion  of  these 
same  persons  will  be  apt  to  observe  it  when  they  happen 
to  do  anything  which  popular  superstition  calls  "  un 
lucky."  It  is  a  common  occurrence  with  many  to  im 
mediately  make  a  secret  "  wish  "  if  they  happen  to  use 
the  same  expression  at  the  same  moment  when  a  friend 
with  whom  they  are  conversing  makes  it ;  nevertheless 
these  persons  would  protest  against  being  considered 
superstitious,  —  indeed,  probably  they  are  not  so  in  the 
full  meaning  of  the  word. 

Several  years  ago  an  old  lady  who  was  a  guest  at  my 
house,  remarked  on  a  rainy  Sunday  : 

"  This  is  the  first  Sunday  in  the  month,  and  now  it 
will  rain  every  Sunday  in  the  month ;  that  is  a  sign 
which  never  fails,  for  I  have  noticed  it  many  a  time." 

"Well,"  I  remarked,  smiling,  "watch  closely  this 
time,  and  if  it  rains  on  the  next  three  Sundays  I  will 
give  you  a  new  silk  dress." 

She  was  in  high  glee,  and  replied : 

"  Well,  you  have  lost  that  dress,  as  sure  as  you  are 
born." 

The  following  Sunday  it  did  indeed  rain. 

"  Ah,  ha ! "  exclaimed  the  old  lady.  "  what  did  I  tell 
you  ]  I  knew  it  would  rain." 

I  smiled,  and  said,  "  all  right,  watch  for  next  Sunday." 

And  surely  enough  the  next  Sunday  it  did  rain,  harder 
than  on  either  of  the  preceding  Sundays. 

"  Now,  what  do  you  think  \ "  said  the  old  lady, 
solemnly.  "  I  tell  you  that  sign  never  fails.  It  wont 
do  to  doubt  the  ways  of  Providence,"  she  added  with  a 


710         CURIOUS  COINCIDENCES.— NUMBER  THIRTEEN. 

sigh,  "  for  His  ways  are  mysterious  and  past   finding 
out." 

The  following  Sunday  the  sun  rose  in  a  cloudless  sky, 
and  not  the  slightest  appearance  of  rain  was  manifested 
through  the  day.  The  old  lady  was  greatly  disap 
pointed,  and  did  not  like  to  hear  any  allusion  to  the 
subject ;  but  two  years  afterwards,  when  she  was  once 
more  my  guest,  it  again  happened  to  rain  on  the  first 
Sunday  in  the  month,  and  I  heard  her  solemnly  predict 
that  it  would,  every  succeeding  Sunday  in  the  month, 
for,  she  remarked,  "  it  is  a  sign  that  never  fails."  She 
had  forgotten  the  failure  of  two  years  before  ;  indeed, 
the  continuance  and  prevalence  of  many  popular  super 
stitions  is  due  to  the  fact  that  we  notice  the  "  sign " 
when  it  happens  to  be  verified,  and  do  not  observe  it, 
or  we  forget  it,  when  it  fails.  Many  persons  are 
exceedingly  superstitious  in  regard  to  the  number  "  thir 
teen."  This  is  particularly  the  case,  I  have  noticed,  in 
Catholic  countries  I  have  visited,  and  I  have  been  told 
that  superstition  originated  in  the  fact  of  a  thirteenth 
apostle  having  been  chosen,  on  account  of  the  treachery 
of  Judas.  At  any  rate,  I  have  known  numbers  of 
French  persons  who  had  quite  a  horror  of  this  fatal 
number.  Once  I  knew  a  French  lady  who  had  taken 
passage  in  an  ocean  steamer,  and  who,  on  going  aboard, 
and  finding  her  assigned  state-room  to  be  "  No.  13," 
insisted  upon  it  that  she  would  not  sail  in  the  ship  at 
all ;  she  had  rather  forfeit  her  passage  money,  though 
finally  she  was  persuaded  to  take  another  room.  And 
a  great  many  people,  French,  English,  and  American 
will  not  undertake  any  important  enterprise  on  the  thir 
teenth  day  of  the  month,  nor  sit  at  table  with  the  full 
complement  of  thirteen  persons.  With  regard  to  this 


CURIOUS  OOINCTDENCEa  —  KUMBEK  THIKTEEN.         711 

number  to  which  so  many  superstitions  cling,  I  have 
some  interesting  experiences  and  curious  coincidences, 
which  are  worth  relating  as  a  part  of  my  personal  his 
tory. 

When  I  was  first  in  England  with  General  Tom 
Thumb,  I  well  remember  dining  one  Christmas  day  with 
my  friends,  the  Brettells,  in  St.  James's  Palace,  in  Lon 
don.  Just  before  the  dinner  was  finished  (it  is  a  wonder 
it  was  not  noticed  before)  it  was  discovered  that  the 
number  at  table  was  exactly  thirteen. 

"  How  very  unfortunate,"  remarked  one  of  the  guests  ; 
"  I  would  not  have  dined  under  such  circumstances  for 
any  consideration,  had  I  known  it !  " 

"  Nor  I  either,"  seriously   remarked  another  guest. 

"  Do  you  really  suppose  there  is  any  truth  in  the  old 
superstition  on  that  subject  ]  "  I  asked. 

"  Truth  ! "  solemnly  replied  an  old  lady.  "  Truth  ! 
Why  I  myself  have  known  three  instances,  and  have 
heard  of  scores  of  others,  where  thirteen  persons  have 
eaten  at  the  same  table,  and  in  every  case  one  of  the 
number  died  before  the  year  was  out !  " 

This  assertion,  made  with  so  much  earnestness,  evi 
dently  affected  several  of  the  guests,  whose  nerves  were 
easily  excited.  I  can  truthfully  state,  however,  that  I 
dined  at  the  Palace  again  the  following  Christmas,  and 
although  there  were  seventeen  persons  present,  every 
one  of  the  original  thirteen  who  dined  there  the  preced 
ing  Christmas,  was  among  this  number,  and  all  in  good 
health ;  although,  of  course,  it  would  have  been  nothing 
very  remarkable  if  one  had  happened  to  have  died 
during  the  last  twelve  months. 

While  I  was  on  my  Western  lecturing  tour  in  1866, 
long  before  I  got  out  of  Illinois,  I  begefn  to  observe 


712         CURIOUS  COINCIDENCES.—  NUMBER  THIRTEEN*. 

that  at  the  various  hotels  where  I  stopped  my  room 
very  frequently  was  No.  13.  Indeed,  it  seemed  as  if 
this  number  turned  up  to  me  as  often  as  four  times  per 
week,  and  so  before  many  days  I  almost  expected  to> 
have  that  number  set  down  to  my  name  wherever  1 
signed  it  upon  the  register  of  the  hotel.  Still,  1 
laughed  to  myself,  at  what  I  was  convinced  was  simply 
a  coincidence.  On  one  occasion  I  was  travelling  from 
Clinton  to  Mount  Vernon,  Iowa,  and  was  to  lecture  in 
the  college  of  the  latter  place  that  evening.  Ordinarily, 
I  should  have  arrived  at  two  o'clock  P.  M. ;  but  owing 
to  an  accident  which  had  occurred  to  the  train  from  the 
West,  the  conductor  informed  me  that  our  arrival  in 
Mount  Vernon  would  probably  be  delayed  until  after 
seven  o'clock.  I  telegraphed  that  fact  to  the  committee 
who  were  expecting  me,  and  told  them  to  be  patient. 

When  we  had  arrived  within  ten  miles  of  that  town 
it  was  dark.  I  sat  rather  moodily  in  the  car,  wishing 
the  train  would  "  hurry  up";  and  happening  for  some 
cause  to  look  back  over  my  left  shoulder,  I  discovered 
the  new  moon  through  the  window.  This  omen  struck 
me  as  a  coincident  addition  to  my  ill-luck,  and  with  a 
pleasant  chuckle  I  muttered  to  myself,  "  Well,  I  hope  I 
wont  get  room  number  thirteen  to-night,  for  that  will 
be  adding  insult  to  injury." 

I  reached  Mount  Vernon  a  few  minutes  before  eight, 
and  was  met  at  the  depot  by  the  committee,  who  took 
me  in  a  carriage  and  hurried  to  the  Ballard  House. 
The  committee  told  me  the  hall  in  the  college  was 
already  crowded,  and  they  hoped  I  would  defer  taking 
tea  until  after  the  lecture.  I  informed  them  that  I 
would  gladly  do  so,  but  simply  wished  to  run  to  my 
room  a  mom'ent  for  a  wash.  While  wiping  my  face  I 


CURIOUS  COINCIDENCES. —NUMBER  THIRTEEN.          713 

happened  to  think  about  the  new  room,  and  at  once 
stepped  outside  of  my  bed-room  door  to  look  at  the 
number.  It  was  "  number  thirteen." 

After  the  lecture  I  took  tea,  and  I  confess  that  I 
began  to  think  "number  thirteen"  looked  a  little 
ominous.  There  I  was,  many  hundreds  of  miles  from 
my  family ;  I  left  my  wife  sick,  and  I  began  to  ask 
myself  does  "number  thirteen "  portend  anything  in 
particular  ?  Without  feeling  willing  even  now  to 
acknowledge  that  I  felt  much  apprehension  on  the 
subject,  I  must  say  I  began  to  take  a  serious  view  of 
things  in  general. 

I  mentioned  the  coincidence  of  my  luck  in  so  often 
having  "  number  thirteen"  assigned  to  me  to  Mr.  Bal- 
lard,  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel,  giving  him  all  the 
particulars  to  date. 

"  I  will  give  you  another  room  if  you  prefer  it,"  said 
Mr.  Ballard. 

44  No,  I  thank  you,"  I  replied  with  a  semi-serious 
smile ;  "  If  it  is  fate,  I  will  take  it  as  it  comes ;  and  if 
it  means  anything  I  shall  probably  find  it  out  in  time. 
That  same  night  before  retiring  to  rest  I  wrote  a  letter 
to  a  clerical  friend,  then  residing  in  Bridgeport,  telling 
him  all  my  experiences  in  regard  to  "  number  thirteen." 
I  said  to  him  in  closing :  "  Do  n't  laugh  at  me  for  being 
superstitious,  for  I  hardly  feel  so ;  I  think  it  is  simply  a 
series  of  '  coincidences '  which  appear  the  more  strange 
because  I  am  sure  to  notice  every  one  that  occurs." 
Ten  days  afterwards  I  received  an  answer  from  -my 
reverend  friend,  in  which  he  cheerfully  said  :  "  It's  all 
right ;  go  ahead  and  get  '  number  thirteen '  as  often  as 
you  can.  It  is  a  lucky  number,"  and  he  added : 

"Unbelieving   and   ungrateful   man!     What  is  thirteen  but  the  traditior^l 
'baker's  dozen,'  indicating  'good  measure,  pressed  down,  shaken  together,  a*^ 


714         CURIOUS  COINCIDENCES.  —  NUMBER  *HIBTEEN. 

running  over,'  as  illustrated  in  your  triumphal  lecturing  tour?  By  all  mean* 
insist  upon  having  room  No.  13  at  every  hotel;  and  if  the  guests  at  any  meal  bo 
loss  than  that  charmed  complement,  send  out  and  compel  somebody  to  come  in. 

"  What  do  you  say  respecting  the  Thirteen  Colonies?  Any  ill  luck  in  the  num 
ber?  Was  the  patriarch  Jacob  afraid  of  it  when  he  adopted  Ephraim  and  Manas- 
seh,  the  two  sons  of  Joseph,  so  as  to  complete  the  magic  circle  of  thirteen? 

"  Do  you  not  know  that  chapter  thirteen  of  First  Corinthians  is  the  grandest 
in  the  Bible,  with  verse  thirteen  as  the  culmination  of  all  religious  thought? 
4.ud  can  you  read  verse  thirteen  of  the  Fifth  chapter  of  Bevelation  without 
the  highest  rapture?" 

But  my  clerical  friend  had  not  heard  of  a  certain 
surious  circumstance  which  occurred  to  me  after  I 
had  mailed  my  letter  to  him  and  before  I  received  his 
answer. 

On  leaving  Mount  Vernon  for  Cedar  Rapids  the  next 
morning,  the  landlord,  Mr.  Ballard,  drove  me  to  the 
railroad  depot.  As  I  was  stepping  upon  the  cars,  Mr. 
Ballard  shook  my  hand,  and  with  a  laugh  exclaimed  : 
44  Good-by,  friend  Barnum,  I  hope  you  wont  get  room 
number  thirteen  at  Cedar  Rapids  to-day."  "  I  hope 
not !  "  I  replied  earnestly,  and  yet  with  a  smile.  I 
reached  Cedar  Rapids  in  an  hour.  The  lecture  com 
mittee  met  and  took  me  to  the  hotel.  I  entered  my 
name,  and  the  landlord  immediately  called  out  to  the 
porter  : 

"  Here  John,  take  Mr.  Barnum's  baggage,  and  show 
him  to  '  number  thirteen !  ' 

I  confess  that  when  I  heard  this  I  was  startled.  I 
remarked  to  the  landlord  that  it  was  certainly  very  singu 
lar,  but  was  nevertheless  true,  that  "  number  thirteen  " 
seemed  to  be  about  the  only  room  that  I  could  get  in  a 
hotel. 

"  We  have  a  large  meeting  of  Railroad  directors  here 
at  present,"  he  replied,  "  and  '  number  thirteen  '  is  the 
only  room  unoccupied  in  my  house." 

I  proceeded  to  the  room,  and  immediately  wrote  to 


CURIOUS  COINCIDENCES.— NUMBER  THIRTEEN.          715 

Mr.  Ballard  at  Mount  Vernon, 'assuring  him  that  .my 
letter  was  written  in  "  number  thirteen,"  and  that  this 
was  the  only  room  I  could  get  in  the  hotel.  During  the 
remainder  of  my  journey,  I  was  put  into  "  number  thir 
teen  "  so  often  in  the  various  hotels  at  which  I  stopped 
that  it  came  to  be  quite  a  matter  of  course,  though 
occasionally  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  secure  some 
other  number.  Upon  returning  to  New  York,  I  related 
the  foregoing  adventures  to  my  family,  and  told  them  I 
was  really  half  afraid  of  "  number  thirteen."  Soon 
afterwards,  I  telegraphed  to  my  daughter  who  was 
boarding  at  the  Atlantic  House  in  Bridgeport,  asking 
her  to  engage  a  room  for  me  to  lodge  there  the  next 
night,  on  my  way  to  Boston.  "  Mr.  Hale,"  said  she  to 
the  landlord,  "  father  is  coming  up  to-day ;  will  you 
please  reserve  him  a  comfortable  room  ? "  "  Certainly," 
replied  Mr.  Hale,  and  he  instantly  ordered  a  fire  in 
"  room  thirteen !  "  I  went  to  Boston  and  proceeded  to 
Lewiston,  Maine,  and  thence  to  Lawrence,  Massachu 
setts,  and  the  hotel  register  there  has  my  name  booked 
for  "  number  thirteen." 

My  experience  with  this  number  has  by  no  means 
been  confined  to  apartments.  In  1867  a  church  in 
Bridgeport  wanted  to  raise  several  thousand  dollars  in 
order  to  get  freed  from  debt.  I  subscribed  one  thousand 
dollars,  by  aid  of  which  they  assured  me  they  would 
certainly  raise  enough  to  pay  off  the  debt.  A  few 
weeks  subsequently,  however,  one  of  the  "brethren" 
wrote  me  that  they  were  still  six  hundred  dollars  short, 
with  but  little  prospect  of  getting.it.  I  replied  that  I 
would  pay  one-half  of  the  sum  required.  The  brother 
soon  afterwards  wrote  me  that  he  had  obtained  the  other 
half,  and  I  might  forward  him  my  subscription  of  "  thir- 


716         CURIOUS   COINCIDENCES.  -  NUMBER  THIRTEEN, 

teen "  hundred  dollar-.  During  the  same  season  I 
attended  a  fair  in  Franklin  Hall,  Bridgeport,  given  by 
a  temperance  organization.  Two  of  my  little  grand 
daughters  accompanied  me,  and  telling  them  to  select 
what  articles  they  desired,  I  paid  the  bill,  twelve 
dollars  and  fifty  cents.  Whereupon  I  said  to  the  chil 
dren,  "  I  am  glad  you  did  not  make  it  thirteen  dollars, 
and  I  will  expend  no  more  here  to-night."  We  sat 
awhile'  listening  to  the  music,  and  finally  started  for 
home,  and  as  we  were  going,  a  lady  at  one  of  the  stands 
near  the  door,  called  out :  "  Mr.  Barnum,  you  have  not 
patronized  me.  Please  take  a  chance  in  my  lottery." 
"  Certainly,"  I  replied  ;  "  give  me  a  ticket."  I  paid  her 
the  price  (fifty  cents),  and  after  I  arrived  home,  I  dis 
covered  that  in  spite  of  my  expressed  determination  to 
the  contrary,  I  had  expended  exactly  "thirteen"  dol 
lars  ! 

I  invited  a  few  friends  to  a  "  clam-bake  "  in  the  sum 
mer  of  1868,  and  being  determined  the  party  should  not 
be  thirteen,  I  invited  fifteen,  and  they  all  agreed  to  go. 
Of  course,  one  man  and  his  wife  were  "  disappointed," 
and  could  not  go  —  and  my  party  numbered  thirteen. 
At  Christmas,  in  the  same  year,  my  children  and  grand 
children  dined  with  me,  and  finding  on  "  counting 
noses,"  that  they  would  number  the  inevitable  thirteen, 
I  expressly  arranged  to  have  a  high  chair  placed  at  the 
table,  and  my  youngest  grandchild,  seventeen  months 
old,  was  placed  in  it,  so  that  we  should  number  four 
teen.  After  the  dinner  was  over,  we  discovered  that 
my  son-in-law,  Thompson,  had  been  detained  down 
town,  and  the  number  at  dinner  table,  notwithstanding 
my  extra  precautions,  was  exactly  thirteen. 

Thirteen  was  certainly  an  ominous  number  to  me  in 


CURIOUS  COINCIDENCES.— NUMBER  THIRTEEN.         717 

1865,  for  on  the  thirteenth  day  of  July,  the  American 
Museum  was  burned  to  the  ground,  while  the  thirteenth 
day  of  November  saw  the  opening  of  "  Barnum's  New 
American  Museum,"  which  was  also  subsequently  de 
stroyed  by  fire. 

Having  concluded  this  veritable  history  of  supersti 
tious  coincidences  in  regard  to  thirteen,  I  read  it  to  a 
clerical  friend,  who  happened  to  be  present ;  and  after 
reading  the  manuscript,  I  paged  it,  when  my  friend  and 
I  were  a  little  startled  to  find  that  the  pages  numbered 
exactly  thirteen. 

as 


CHAPTER     XLV. 

A  STORY-CHAPTER, 

MAST  TO  HIS  VOCATION"  AND  "NATURE  WILL  ASSERT 
KKST  BY  THE  WAYSIDE  —  A    HALF-SHAVED  PARTY  —  CONSTERNATION  OF  A 

CLERGYMAN  — NATIVES  IN  NEW  YORK  —  DOCTORING  A  CORN-DOCTOR  — 
RELIGIOUS  RAILWAYS  — THE  BRIGHTON  BUGLE '  BUSINESS  — CASH  AND  CON 
SCIENCE —  CASTLES  IN  THE  AIR  —  A  DELUDED  ANTIQUARIAN — GAMBLING 
AND  POLITICS — IRISH  WIT — ABOUT  CONDUCTORS — DR.  CHAPIN  AS  A 
PUNSTER  —  FOWL  ATTEMPTS  —  A  PAIR  o'  DUCKS  —  CUTTING  A  SICK  FRIEND 
—  REV.  RICHARD  VARICK  DEY  —  HIS  CRIME  AND  ITS  CONSEQUENCES — FORE- 
ORDINATION —  PRACTICAL  JOKING  BY  MY  FATHER  —  A  VALUABLE  RACTS 
HORSE  —  HOW  HE  WAS  LET  AND  THEN  KILLED  —  AGONY  OF  THE  HORSE- 
KILLER —  THE  FINAL  "  SELL  " — FOREIGN  AND  DOMESTIC  FRENCH — COCIC- 
NEYISM — WICKED  WORDS  IN  EXETER  HALL. 

AND  now  as  a  traveller,  when  almost  home,  sits  down 
by  the  wayside  to  rest,  and  meanwhile  discourses  to  his 
companion  about  minor  matters  relating  to  the  journey, 
or  revives  reminiscenses  of  home  and  foreign  lands,  so 
I  stop  to  sum  up  in  this  chapter  some  of  the  incidents 
and  anecdotes  which  seem  pertinent  to  my  story. 

The  old  adages,  "  Every  man  to  his  vocation,"  and 
"Nature  will  assert  herself "  are  oftentimes  amusingly 
illustrated.  Every  one  knows  the  fable  of  the  man  who 
prayed  to  Jupiter  to  convert  his  cat  into  a  woman,  and 
Jupiter  kindly  gratified  him  and  the  man  married  the 
woman.  This  was  well  enough,  till  one  night  the  feline 
female  heard  a  mouse  scratching  at  the  door,  when  she 
jumped  out  of  bed  and  began  a  vigorous  hunt,  to  the 
consternation  of  her  husband,  if  not  of  the  mouse. 
Something  almost  as  absurd  and  quite  as  illustrative  of 


A  STORY-CHAPTER.  719 

"instinct,"  or  "nature"  occurred  during  my  manage 
ment  of  the  Museum. 

I  had  brought  out  a  play  entitled  "  The  Patriot 
Fathers,"  or  something  of  the  sort;  it  was  patriotic  at 
any  rate,  and  required  a  great  many  people,  who  had 
very  little  to  do  excepting  to  dress,  group  themselves, 
and  go  on  and  off  the  stage  at  the  proper  times 
demanded  by  the  incidents  or  situations  of  the  play. 
One  night  I  suddenly  found  myself  short  of  supernu 
meraries  to  do  these  subordinate  parts,  so  I  sent  up  to 
Centre  Market  for  a  supply  of  young  men  who  were 
willing  to  be  soldiers,  Indians,  or  anything  else  which 
the  exigencies  of  Revolutionary  times  not  less  than  my 
own  immediate  necessities  demanded. 

Now,  it  fortunately  happened  that  an  engine  company 
near  by,  the  famous  "  Forty  "  of  by-gone  days,  had  just 
returned  from  a  fire,  and  my  messenger  proposed  to  these 
men  to  come  down  and  help  me  out  of  my  difficulty. 
The  boys  wanted  no  better  fun.  At  least  thirty  of  them 
came  headed  by  their  foreman,  Mr.  William  Racey. 
They  were  soon  dressed,  one  as  a  woman,  a  mother  of 
the  Revolution;  others  as  Indians,  British  soldiers,  Hes 
sian  grenadiers,  and  Continentals.  A  very  little  drilling 
sufficed  to  put  these  new  recruits  in  order  for  presenta 
tion  on  the  stage,  for  they  had  little  to  do  but  to  follow 
directions  as  to  where  they  must  stand,  and  when  they 
must  go  on  and  off.  Numbers,  not  talent,  were  needed. 
They  were  apt  pupils,  and  did  excellently  well  from  the 
start. 

But  in  the  very  midst  of  one  of  those  convulsions 
which  threatened  the  fate  of  the  struggle  for  Independ 
ence,  the  City  Hall  bell  sounded  out  the  alarm  for  fire. 
That  was  enough.  Racey  shouted  out  on  the  stage : 


720  A  STORY-CHAPTER. 

"  Boys,  there's  a  fire  in  the  Seventh!  Put  for 
6  Forty ' " ;  and  the  thirty  incontinently  fled  in  post 
haste  for  "  Forty,"  and  soon  after  appeared  in  the  street, 
followed  by  a  jeering,  cheering  crew,  the  most  motley 
company  that  ever  dragged  a  fire  engine  through  the 
streets  of  New  York.  They  were  in  full  costume  as 
they  left  the  Museum.  The  red-coated  British  troops, 
the  Hessians  in  their  tall  bear-skin  caps,  the  Indians  in 
their  paint  and  feathers,  and  even  the  "  woman"  helped 
to  drag  the  machine,  and  at  the  fire  these  strange  peo 
ple,  including  the  woman,  helped  to  "  man"  the  brakes. 
It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  they  succeeded  in  creating 
in  the  street,  what  I  hoped  they  would  have  done  on  the 
stage,  a  positive  sensation. 

I  confess  that  I  am  fond  of  story-telling  as  well  as 
fun,  and  I  inherit  this  I  think  from  my  maternal  grand 
father,  whom  I  have  already  chronicled  in  these  pages 
as  a  "  practical  joker  of  the  old  school."  One  of  the 
best  illustrations  of  his  peculiar  fondness  for  this  amuse 
ment  appears  in  the  following : 

Danbury  and  Bethel  were  and  still  are  manufacturing 
villages.  Hats  and  combs  were  the  principal  articles 
of  manufacture.  The  hatters  and  comb  makers  had  oc 
casion  to  go  to  New  York  every  spring  and  fall,  and 
they  generally  managed  to  go  in  parties,  frequently 
taking  in  a  few  "  outsiders,"  who  merely  wished  to  visit 
the  city  for  the  fun  of  the  thing.  They  usually  took 
passage  on  board  a  sloop  at  Norwalk,  and  the  length  of 
their  passage  depended  entirely  upon  the  state  of  the 
wind.  Sometimes  the  run  would  be  made  in  eight 
hours,  and  at  other  times  nearly  as  many  days  were 
required.  It,  however,  made  little  difference  with  the 
passengers.  They  went  in  for  a  "  spree,"  and  were  sure 


A  STOKY-CHAPTEB.  72 1 

to  have  a  jolly  time  whether  on  land  or  water.  They 
were  all  fond  of  practical  jokes,  and  before  starting  they 
usually  entered  into  a  solemn  compact,  that  any  man 
who  got  angry  at  a  practical  joke  should  forfeit  and  pay 
the  sum  of  twenty  dollars.  This  agreement  frequently 
saved  much  trouble  ;  for  occasionally  an  unexpected  and 
rather  severe  trick  would  be  played  off,  and  sadly  chafe 
the  temper  of  the  victim. 

Upon  one  of  these  occasions  a  party  of  fourteen  men 
started  from  Bethel  on  a  Monday  morning  for  New  York. 
Among  the  number  were  my  grandfather,  Capt.  Noah 
Ferry,  Benjamin  Hoyt,  Esq.,  Uncle  Samuel  Taylor,  (as 
he  was  called  by  everybody,)  Eleazer  Taylor,  and  Charles 
Dart.  Most  of  these  were  proverbial  jokers,  and  it  was 
doubly  necessary  to  adopt  the  stipulation  in  regard  to 
the  control  of  temper.  It  was  therefore  done  in  writing, 
duly  signed. 

They  arrived  at  Nor  walk  Monday  afternoon.  The 
sloop  set  sail  the  same  evening,  with  a  fair  prospect  of 
reaching  New  York  early  the  next  morning.  Several 
strangers  took  passage  at  Norwalk,  among  the  rest  a 
clergyman.  He  soon  found  himself  in  jolly  company, 
and  attempted  to  keep  aloof.  But  they  informed  him  it 
was  of  no  use,  they  expected  to  reach  New  York  the  next 
morning,  and  were  determined  to  "  make  a  night  of  it," 
so  he  might  as  well  render  himself  agreeable,  for  sleep 
was  out  of  the  question.  His  "  reverence  "  remonstrated 
at  first,  and  talked  about  *4  his  rights " ;  but  he  soon 
learned  that  he  was  in  a  company  where  the  rights  of 
"the  majority"  were  in  the  ascendant;  so  he  put  a 
smooth  face  upon  affairs,  and  making  up  his  mind  not 
to  retire  that  night,  he  soon  engaged  in  conversation 
several  of  his  fellow-passengers. 


722  A    STORY-CHAPTER, 

The  clergyman  was  a  slim,  spare  man,  standing  over 
BIX  feet  high  in  his  stockings  ;  of  light  complexion,  sandy 
hair,  and  wearing  a  huge  pair  of  reddish-brown  whisk 
ers.  Some  of  the  passengers  joked  him  upon  the 
superfluity  of  hair  upon  his  face,  but  he  replied  that 
nature  had  placed  it  there,  and  although  he  thought 
proper,  in  accordance  with  modern  custom,  to  shave  off 
a  portion  of  his  beard,  he  considered  it  neither  unmanly 
nor  unclerical  to  wear  whiskers.  It  seemed  to  be  con 
ceded  that  the  clergyman  had  the  best  of  the  argument, 
and  the  subject  was  changed. 

Expectation  of  a  speedy  run  to  New  York  was  most 
sadly  disappointed.  The  vessel  appeared  scarcely  to 
move,  and  through  long  weary  hours  of  day  and  night? 
there  was  not  a  ripple  on  the  surface  of  the  water. 
Nevertheless  there  was  merriment  oh  board  the  sloop5 
each  voyager  contributing  good  humor  to  beguile  the 
tediousness  of  time. 

Friday  morning  came,  but  the  calm  continued.  Five 
days  from  home,  and  no  prospect  of  reaching  New 
York !  We  may  judge  the  appearance  of  the  beards 
of  the  passengers.  There  was  but  one  razor  in  the 
company ;  it  was  owned  by  my  grandfather,  and  he 
refused  to  use  it,  or  to  suffer  it  to  be  used.  "  We  shall 
all  be  shaved  in  New  York,"  said  he. 

On  Saturday  morning  "  all  hands "  appeared  upon 
deck,  and  the  sloop  was  becalmed  opposite  Sawpits 
(now  Port  Chester) ! 

This  tried  the  patience  of  the  passengers  sadly. 

"  I  expected  to  start  for  home  to-day,"  said  one. 

"  I  supposed  all  my  combs  would  have  been  sold  at 
auction  on  Wednesday,  and  yet  here  they  are  on  board  ™ 
said  another. 


723 

"  I  intended  to  have  sold  my  hats  surely  this  week, 
for  I  have  a  note  to  pay  in  New-Haven  on  Monday," 
added  a  third. 

"  I  have  an  appointment  to  preach  in  New  York  this 
evening  and  to-morrow,"  said  the  clergyman,  whose  huge 
sandy  whiskers  overshadowed  a  face  now  completely 
covered  with  a  bright  red  beard  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
long. 

"  Well,  there  is  no  use  crying,  gentlemen,"  replied  the 
captain ;  "  it  is  lucky  for  us  that  we  have  chickens  and 
eggs  on  freight,  or  we  might  have  to  be  put  upon 
allowance." 

After  breakfast  the  passengers,  who  now  began  to 
look  like  barbarians,  again  solicited  the  loan  of  my 
grandfather's  *  razor. 

"  No,  gentlemen,"  he  replied  ;  "I  insist  that  shaving 
is  unhealthy  and  contrary  to  nature,  and  I  am  determined 
neither  to  shave  myself  nor  loan  my  razor  until  we 
reach  New  York." 

Night  came,  and  yet  no  wind.  Sunday  morning  found 
them  in  the  same  position.  Their  patience  was  well 
nigh  exhausted,  but  after  breakfast  a  slight  ripple 
appeared.  It  gradually  increased,  and  the  passengers 
were  soon  delighted  in  seeing  the  anchor  weighed  and 
the  sails  again  set.  The  sloop  glided  finely  through  the 
water,  and  smiles  of  satisfaction  forced  themselves 
through  the  swamps  of  bristles  which  covered  the  faces 
of  the  passengers. 

"  What  time  shall  we  reach  New  York  if  this  breeze 
continues  I "  was  the  anxious  inquiry  of  half  a  dozen 
passengers. 

"  About  two  o'clock  this  afternoon,"  replied  the  good- 
natured  captain,  who  now  felt  assured  that  no  calm 

would  furftTer  blight  his  prospects. 
33* 


724  A   STOKY-CH AFTER. 

"  Alas  !  that  will  be  too  late  to  get  shaved,"  exclaimed 
several  voices  —  "  the  barber  shops  close  at  twelve." 

"  And  I  shall  barely  be  in  time  to  preach  my  afternoon 
sermon,"  responded  the  red-bearded  clergyman.  "  Mr. 
Taylor,  do  be  so  kind  as  to  loan  me  your  shaving  uten 
sils,"  he  continued,  addressing  my  grandfather. 

The  old  gentleman  then  went  to  his  trunk,  and  unlock 
ing  it,  he  drew  forth  his  razor,  lather-box  and  strop. 
The  passengers  pressed  around  him,  as  all  were  now 
doubly  anxious  for  a  chance  to  shave  themselves. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,"  said  my  grandfather,  "  I  will  be 
fair  with  you.  I  did  not  intend  to  lend  iny  razor,  but  as 
we  shall  arrive  too  late  for  the  barbers,  you  shall  all  use 
it.  But  it  is  evident  we  cannot  all  have  time  to  be 
shaved  with  one  razor  before  we  reach  New  York,  and 
as  it  would  be  hard  for  half  of  us  to  walk  on  shore  with 
clean  faces,  and  leave  the  rest  on  board  waiting  for  their 
turn  to  shave  themselves,  I  have  hit  upon  a  plan  which 
I  am  sure  you  will  all  say  is  just  and  equitable." 

"  What  is  if?"  was  the  anxious  inquiry. 

"  It  is  that  each  man  shall  shave  one  half  of  his  face, 
and  pass  the  razor  over  to  the  next,  and  when  we  are 
all  half  shaved  we  shall  go  on  in  rotation  and  shave  the 
other  half." 

They  all  agreed  to  this  except  the  clergyman.  He 
objected  to  appearing  so  ridiculous  upon  the  Lord's  day, 
whereupon  several  declared  that  any  man  with  such 
enormous  reddish  whiskers  must  necessarily  always  look 
ridiculous,  and  they  insisted  that  if  the  clergyman  used 
the  razor  at  all  he  should  shave  off  his  whiskers. 

My  grandfather  assented  to  this  proposal,  and  said : 
"•  Now,  gentlemen,  as  I  own  the  razor,  I  will  begin,  and 
as  our  reverend  friend  is  in  a  hurry  he  shall  be  next — 


A  STORY-CHAPTER.  725 

but  off  shall  come  one  of  his  whiskers  on  the  first  turn, 
or  he  positively  shall  not  use  my  razor  at  all." 

The  clergyman  seeing  there  was  no  use  in  parleying, 
reluctantly  agreed  to  the  proposition, 

In  the  course  of  ten  minutes  one  side  of  my  grand 
father's  face  and  chin,  in  a  straight  line  from  the  middle 
of  his  nose,  was  shaved  as  close  as  the  back  of  his  hand, 
while  the  other  looked  like  a  thick  brush  fence  in  a 
country  swamp.  The  passengers  burst  into  a  roar  of 
laughter,  in  which  the  clergyman  irresistibly  joined,  and 
my  grandfather  handed  the  razor  to  the  clerical  gen 
tleman. 

The  clergyman  had  already  well  lathered  one  half  of 
his  face  and  passed  the  brush  to  the  next  customer.  In 
a  short  time  the  razor  had  performed  its  work,  and  the 
clergyman  was  denuded  of  one  whisker.  The  left  side 
of  his  face  was  as  naked  as  that  of  an  infant,  while  from 
the  other  cheek  four  inches  of  a  huge  red  whisker  stood 
out  in  powerful  contrast.  Nothing  more  ludicrous  could 
well  be  conceived.  A  deafening  burst  of  laughter 
ensued,  and  the  poor  clergyman  slunk  quietly  away  to 
wait  an  hour  until  his  turn  should  arrive  to  shave  the 
other  portion  of  his  face. 

The  next  man  went  through  the  same  operation,  and 
all  the  rest  followed ;  a  new  laugh  breaking  forth  as 
each  customer  handed  over  the  razor  to  the  next  in  turn. 
In  the  course  of  an  hour  and  a  quarter  every  passenger 
on  board  was  half  shaved.  It  was  then  proposed  that 
all  should  go  upon  deck  and  take  a  drink  before  opera 
tions  were  commenced  on  the  other  side  of  their  faces. 
When  they  all  gathered  upon  the  deck,  the  scene  was 
most  ludicrous.  The  whole  party  burst  again  into  loud 
jnerriment,  each  man  being  convulsed  by  the  ridiculous 
appearance  of  the  rest. 


7  2  5  A  STOKY-CH APTEE. 

i;  Now,  gentlemen,"  said  my  grandfather,  "I  will  go 
into  the  cabin  and  shave  off  the  other  side.  You  can 
all  remain  on  deck.  As  soon  as  I  have  finished,  I  will 
come  up  and  give  the  clergyman  the  next  chance." 

"  You  must  hurry  or  you  will  not  all  be  finished  when 
we  arrive,"  remarked  the  captain ;  "  for  we  shall  touch 
Peck  Slip  wharf  in  half  an  hour." 

My  grandfather  entered  the  cabin,  and  in  ten  minutes 
he  appeared  upon  deck,  razor  in  hand.  He  was  smoothly 
shaved. 

"  Now,"  said  the  clergyman,  "  it  is  my  turn." 

"  Certainly,"  said  my  grandfather.  "  You  are  next, 
but  wait  a  moment,  let  me  draw  the  razor  across  the 
strop  once  or  twice." 

Putting  his  foot  upon  the  side  rail  of  trie  deck,  and 
placing  one  end  of  the  strop  upon  his  leg,  he  drew  the 
razor  several  times  across  it.  Then,  as  if  by  mistake, 
the  razor  flew  from  his  hand,  and  dropped  into  the 
water !  My  grandfather,  with  well-feigned  surprise, 
exclaimed  in  a  voice  of  terror,  "  Good  heavens  !  the 
razor  has  fallen  overboard !  " 

Such  a  picture  of  consternation  as  covered  one-half 
of  all  the  passengers'  faces,  was  never  before  witnessed. 
At  first  they  were  perfectly  silent  as  if  petrified  with 
astonishment.  But  in  a  few  minutes  murmurs  began 
to  be  heard,  and  soon  swelled  into  exclamations.  "  AP 
infernal  hog  !  "  said  one.  "  The  meanest  thing  I  ever 
knew,"  remarked  another.  "  He  ought  to  be  thrown 
overboard  himself,"  cried  several  others  ;  but  all  remem 
bered  that  every  man  who  got  angry  was  to  pay  a  fine 
of  twenty  dollars,  aud  they  did  not  repeat  their  remarks. 
Presently  all  eyes  were  turned  upon  the  clergyman.  He 
was  the  most  forlorn  picture  of  despair  that  could  be 
imagined. 


A  STOKY-CH AFTER.  727 

"  Oh,  this  is  dreadful ! "  he  drawled,  in  a  tone  which 
seemed  as  if  every  word  broke  a  heart- string. 

This  was  too  much,  and  the  whole  crowd  broke  into 
another  roar.  Tranquillity  was  restored!  The  joke, 
though  a  hard  one,  was  swallowed.  The  sloop  soon 
touched  the  dock.  The  half-shaved  passengers  now 
agreed  that  my  grandfather,  who  was  the  only  person 
on  board  who  appeared  like  a  civilized  being,  should 
take  the  lead  for  the  Walton  House,  in  Franklin  Square, 
and  all  the  rest  should  follow  in  "  Indian  file."  He 
reminded  them  that  they  would  excite  much  attention 
in  the  streets,  and  enjoined  them  not  to  smile.  They 
agreed,  and  away  they  started.  They  attracted  a 
crowd  of  persons  before  they  reached  the  corner  of 
Pearl  Street  and  Peck  Slip,  but  they  all  marched 
with  as  much  solemnity  as  if  they  were  going 
to  the  grave.  The  door  of  the  Walton  House  was 
open.  Old  Backus,  the  landlord,  was  quietly  enjoying 
his  cigar,  while  a  dozen  or  two  persons  were  engaged 
in  reading  the  papers,  etc.  In  marched  the  file  of  non 
descripts,  with  the  rabble  at  their  heels.  Mr.  Backus 
and  his  customers  started  to  their  feet  in  astonishment. 
My  grandfather  marched  solemnly  up  to  the  bar  —  the 
passengers  followed,  and  formed  double  rows  behind 
him.  "  Santa  Cruz  rum  for  nineteen,"  exclaimed  my 
grandfather  to  the  barkeeper.  The  astonished  liquor- 
seller  produced  bottles  and  tumblers  in  double-quick 
time,  and  when  Backus  discovered  that  the  nondescripts 
were  old  friends  and  customers,  he  was  excited  to  uncon 
trollable  merriment. 

"  What  in  the  name  of  decency  has  happened,"  he 
exclaimed,  "  that  you  should  all  appear  here  half 
shaved  ?" 


728  A  STORY-CHAPTER 

"Nothing  at  all,  Mr.  Backus,"  said  my  grandfather 
with  apparent  seriousness.  "  These  gentlemen  choose 
to  wear  their  beards  according  to  the  prevailing  fashion 
in  the  place  they  came  from ;  and  I  think  it  is  very  hard 
that  they  should  be  stared  at  and  insulted  by  you  York 
ers  because  your  fashion  happens  to  differ  a  trifle  from 
theirs." 

Backus  half  believed  my  grandfather  in  earnest,  and 
the  bystanders  were  quite  convinced  such  was  the  fact, 
for  not  a  smile  appeared  upon  one  of  the  half-shaved 
countenances. 

After  sitting  a  few  minutes  the  passengers  were  shown 
to  their  rooms,  and  at  tea-time  every  man  appeared  at 
the  table  precisely  as  he  came  from  the  sloop.  The 
ladies  looked  astonished,  the  waiters  winked  and 
laughed,  but  the  subjects  of  this  merriment  were  as 
grave  as  judges.  In,  the  evening  they  maintained  the 
same  gravity  in  the  bar-room,  and  at  ten  o'clock  they 
retired  to  bed- with  all  due  solemnity.  In  the  morning, 
however,  bright  and  early,  they  were  in  the  barber's 
shop,  undergoing  an  operation  that  soon  placed  them 
upon  a  footing  with  the  rest  of  mankind. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  explain  that  the  clergyman 
did  not  appear  in  that  singular  procession  of  Sunday 
afternoon.  He  tied  a  handkerchief  over  his  face,  and 
taking  his  valise  in  his  hand,  started  for  Market  Street, 
where  it  is  presumed  he  found  a  good  brother  and  a 
good  razor  in  season  to  fill  his  appointment. 

Let  me  give  an  illustration  of  a  "  practical  joke," 
which  is  quite  professional  as  well  as  practical  with  the 
operator,  and  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  no  doubt,  profita 
ble  withal.  When  I  was  in  Paris  in  1845,  there  came 
one  day  to  my  room  in  the  Hotel  Bedford,  where  I  was 


A  STOKY-CHAPTEK.  729 

staying,  a  smart  little  Frenchman  with  a  case  of  instru 
ments  under  his  arm.  He  announced  himself  as  a 
chiropodist  who  could  instantly  remove  the  worst  corns, 
not  only  without  pain,  but  he  promised  by  means  of  a 
mysterious  liniment  in  his  possession  to  immediately 
heal  the  spot  from  which  he  removed  the  corn. 

Now  I  had  not  a  corn  on  my  feet,  but  willing  to  test 
his  wonderful  powers,  I  told  him  to  examine  my  left, 
foot,  and  to  remove  a  troublesome  corn  on  the  little  toe. 
Surely  enough  he  did  remove  and  exhibit  such  a  corn 
as  I  am  sure  would  have  prevented  my  walking,  had  I 
known  that  I  was  so  grievously  afflicted.  He  then 
poured  some  of  his  red  oil  on  the  toe  and  triumphantly 
showed  me  that  the  place  had  already  entirely  healed. 
Pretending  to  be  delighted  with  his  skill,  I  held  out 
another  toe  for  "  operation,"  and  watching  him  carefully 
I  saw  him  slip  a  manufactured  corn  into  his  oil  bottle, 
which,  after  fumbling  awhile  and  pretending  to  pare 
the  unoffending  toe,  he  "  extracted."  More  delighted 
than  ever,  I  rang  the  bell,  and  told  the  servant  to  send 
up  the  landlord,  as  I  wished  him  to  witness  the  extra 
ordinary  skill  of  the  corn-doctor.  The  landlord  arrived, 
and,  after  a  few  words  of  eulogy  upon  the  chiropodist,  3 
submitted  another  healthy  toe,  and  forth  came  anothei 
monstrous  corn;  for  the  same  process  of  extraction,  with 
the  same  results,  could  have  been  performed  on  the  foot 
of  a  marble  statue. 

It  was  now  my  turn,  to  "  operate,"  so  I  rose  and 
bolted  the  door  and  took  off  my  coat,  telling  the  "  doc 
tor  "  that  I  greatly  admired  his  gold  mounted  instru 
ments  and  the  brazen  impudence  with  which  he 
swindled  the  public,  but  that  this  time  ha  had  "  caught 
a  Tartar,"  and  that  he  could  not  leave  the  room  till  he 
had  been  search  3d 


730  A  STOEY-CHAPTEK. 

The  quack  bristled  up  in  grand  style  at  what  he 
termed  ray  ungentlemanly  behavior,  and  threatened  if 
I  touched  him  to  bring  me  before  the  "  Tribunal."  I 
remarked  that  I  rather  thought  the  "  Tribunal "  was 
the  last  place  on  earth  at  which  he  desired  to  appear, 
and  then  assuring  the  landlord  that  the  fellow  was  an 
arrant  imposter,  and  that  if  he  would  assist  me  in 
searching  him  I  would  prove  it  and  warrant  that  no 
harm  should  come  to  the  searchers,  he  consented,  and 
collared  the  chiropodist.  The  fellow  seeing  that  we 
were  resolved,  quietly  submitted.  We  first  searched  his 
pockets  and  found  nothing;  but  upon  examining  his 
morocco  instrument  case,  we  discovered  a  drawer  in 
which  were  eighty  ready-made  corns  and  a  small  piece 
of  horn  which  furnished  the  raw  material  for  the  manu 
facture  !  Fortunately,  my  right  foot  was  not  bare,  and 
I  forthwith  gave  the  chiropodist  a  lesson  in  the  shape  of 
a  warm  visitation  of  shoe-leather,  which  sent  him  flying 
down  stairs,  where  the  dose  was  doubled  by  an  attentive 
servant  till  the  chiropodist  reached  the  street.  He  did 
not  call  at  the  Hotel  Bedford  again  during  my  stay. 

I  was  a  good  deal  amused  when  I  was  in  Brighton, 
England,  during  the  same  year,  to  see  how  some  people 
manage  to  reconcile  cash  and  conscience.  Every  one 
knows  that  Brighton  is  a  fashionable  watering-place,  fre 
quented  by  all  sorts  of  people  ;  but  the  actual  residents, 
many  of  whom  are  very  wealthy,  are  supposed  to  be 
quite  removed  from  the  fashionable  and  other  follies  of 
the  visitors  from  abroad  during  the  "  season."  The 
millionnaires  of  Brighton,  when  I  was  there,  were  great 
church- goers,  and  at  the  same  time  were  extensive  own 
ers  in  the  stock  of  the  railway  which  brought  so  many 
visitors  to  the  place.  It  was  therefore  for  their  interest 


A  STORY-CHAPTER.  731 

that  trains  should  run  on  Sundays,  as  well  as  on  other 
days,  but  as  such  a  course  would  clash  with  their  religious 
professions,  it  was  necessary  that  some  plan  should  be 
devised  by  which  a  compromise  could  be  effected  be 
tween  profits  and  profession,  cash  and  conscience, — for 
the  idea  of  ever  sacrificing  interest  to  principle  never 
enters  the  minds  of  those  whose  religion  may  be  in  their 
heads  while  it  never  reaches  their  hearts.  The  com 
promise  between  the  duty  and  the  dividends  of  the 
Brighton  railway  shareholders  was  effected  as  follows  : 

After  a  great  deal  of  talk  pro  and  am.  on  the  subject, 
the  trains  on  Sunday  were  permitted  to  arrive  and  depart 
on  the  following  conditions.  But  little  noise  and  confu 
sion  was  manifest  and  there  were  fewer  porters  employed 
about  the  station  than  on  week-days,  obliging  the  arriv 
ing  and  departing  passengers  not  only  to  look  after,  but 
to  lift  their  baggage,  and  as  bell-ringing,  that  is,  locomo 
tive  bell-ringing,  would  disturb  the  sanctity  of  the  Sab 
bath,  a  bugle  gave  notice  of  the  incoming  and  outgoing 
of  the  trains.  But  even  this  was  not  enough  ;  it  was 
expressly  stipulated  that  the  bugle-player  should  play 
nothing  but  sacred  music !  Thus  trains  came  in  to  "  Old 
Hundred,"  or  some  similar  Psalm  tune,  and  went  out  to 
the  air  of  "  Dismission  "  common  to  the  hymn  commen 
cing,  "  Lord,  dismiss  us  with  thy  blessing."  I  do  not 
know  that  this  custom  is  still  kept  up  at  Brighton,  but 
it  certainly  was  so  when  I  was  there  in  1845  ;  and  it  was 
gravely  recommended  to  others  who  favored  a  very  strict 
observance  of  Sunday,  and  yet  liked  their  dividends,  or 
were  eager  for  Sunday  mails.  In  common  phrase,  it 
was  whipping  the  Evil  One  round  the  stump  in  a  curious 
way. 

It  reminded  me  of  the  good  old  deacon  in  Connecticut 


732  A  STOKY-CHAPTEK. 

who  was  in  the  habit  of  selling  milk  to  his  neighbors  on 
all  days  in  the  week.  One  Sunday,  however,  his  par- 
son  came  home  with  him  to  tea,  and  while  they  were  at 
the  table  a  little  girl  came  in  for  a  quart  of  milk.  The 
deacon  was  afraid  of  being  scandalized  in  the  presence 
of  the  parson,  and  so  he  told  the  girl  he  did  not  sell 
milk  on  Sunday.  The  girl,  who  had  been  accustomed 
to  buy  on  that  day  as  on  other  days,  was  much  surprised 
and  turned  to  go  away,  when  the  sixpence  in  her  hand 
was  too  much  of  a  temptation  for  the  deacon,  who 
called  out : 

"  Here,  little  girl !  you  can  leave  the  money  now,  and 
call  and  get  the  milk  to-morrow !  " 

During  my  journeyings  abroad  I  was  not  wholly  free 
from  the  usual  infirmity  of  travellers,  viz,  a  desire  to 
look  at  the  old  castles  of  feudal  times,  whether  in  pre 
servation  or  in  ruins  ;  but  there  was  one  of  our  party, 
Mr.  H.  G.  Sherman,  who  had  a  peculiar  and  irresistible 
taste  for  the  antique.  He  gathered  trunks  full  of  stone 
and  timber  mementos  from  every  place  of  note  which 
we  visited ;  and,  if  there  was  anything  which  he  admired 
more  than  all  else,  it  was  an  old  castle.  He  spent  many 
hours  in  clambering  the  broken  walls  of  Kenilworth,  in 
viewing  the  towers  and  dungeons  of  Warwick,  and 
climbing  the  precipices  of  Dumbarton.  When  travel 
ling  by  coach,  Sherman  always  secured  an  outside  seat, 
and,  if  possible,  next  to  the  coachman,  so  as  to  be  able 
to  make  inquiries  regarding  everything  which  he  might 
happen  to  see. 

On  our  journey  from  Belfast  to  Drogheda,  Sherman 
occupied  his  usual  seat  beside  the  driver,  and  asked  him 
a  thousand  questions.  The  coachman  was  a  regular 
wag,  with  genuine  Irish  wit,  and  he  determined  to  have 


A  STOKY-CH AFTER  733 

a  little  bit  of  fun  at  the  expense  of  the  inquisitive  Yan 
kee.  As  we  came  within  eight  miles  of  Drogheda,  the 
watchful  eye  of  Sherman  caught  the  glimpse  of  a  large 
stone  pile,  appearing  like  a  castle,  looming  up  among 
some  trees  in  a  field  half  a  mile  from  the  roadside. 

"  Oh,  look  here !  what  do  you  call  that!"  exclaimed 
Sherman,  giving  the  coachman  an  elbowing  in  the  ribs 
which  was  anything  but  pleasant. 

"  Faith,"  replied  the  coachman,  "  you  may  well  ask 
what  we  call  that,  for  divil  a  call  do  we  know  what  to 
call  it.  That  is  a  castle,  sir,  beyond  all  question  the 
oldest  in  Ireland  ;  indade,  none  of  the  old  books  nor 
journals  contain  any  account  of  it.  It  is  known,  how 
ever,  that  Brian  Borrhoime  inhabited  it  some  time, 
though  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  built  centuries  before 
'his  day." 

"  I'll  give  you  half-a-crown  to  stop  the  coach  long 
enough  for  me  to  run  and  bring  a  scrap  of  it  away," 
said  Sherman. 

"Sure,  and  isn't  this  the  royal  mail  coach]  and  I 
would  not  dare  detain  it  for  half  the  Bank  of  Ireland," 
replied  the  honest  coachman. 

"  How  far  is  it  to  Drogheda  ? "  inquired  Sherman. 

"  About  eight  miles,  more  or  less,"  answered  the 
coachman. 

"  Stop  your  coach,  and  let  me  down  then,"  replied 
Sherman ;  Ci  I'll  walk  to  Drogheda,  and  would  sooner 
walk  three  times  the  distance  than  not  have  a  nearer 
view,  and  carry  off  a  portion  of  the  oldest  castle  in  Ire 
land." 

With  that  Sherman  dismounted,  and,  raising  his  um 
brella  to  protect  him  from  the  cold  rain  which  was 
falling  in  torrents,  he  marched  off  in  the  mud,  calling 


734  A  STORY-CHAPTER 

out  to  me  that  I  might  expect  him  in  Dublin  by  the 
next  train  to  that  which  would  take  us  from  Drogheda, 
the  railroad  being  then  completed  only  to  that  point 
from  Dublin. 

We  arrived  in  Dublin  about  five  o'clock,  cold  and 
uncomfortable  ;  but  warm  apartments  and  good  fires 
were  in  waiting  for  us,  and  in  a  few  hours  we  had  par 
taken  of  an  excellent  supper,  and  were  as  happy  as 
lords.  About  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  door  of  our 
parlor  was  opened,  and  who  should  come  in  but  poor 
Sherman,  drenched  to  the  skin  with  cold  rain,  —  the  legs 
of  his  boots  pulled  over  the  bottoms  of  his  pantaloons, 
and  covered  with  thick  mud  to  the  very  tops,  and  himself 
looking  like  a  half-famished,  weary  and  frozen  traveller. 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  let  me  get  to  the  fire ! "  ex 
claimed  Sherman,  and  we  were  too  much  struck  with 
his  suffering  appearance  not  to  heed  it. 

"  Well,  Sherman,"  I  remarked,  "  that  must  have  been 
a  tedious  walk  for  you,  —  eight  long  Irish  miles  through 
the  rain  and  mud." 

"  I  guess  you  would  have  thought  so  if  you  had 
walked  it  yourself,"  replied  Sherman,  doggedly. 

"  I  hope  you  have  brought  away  trophies  enough 
from  the  castle  to  pay  you  for  all  this  trouble,"  I  con 
tinued. 

"  Oh,  curse  the  castle  !  "  exclaimed  Sherman. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that? "  I  asked,  in  astonish 
ment. 

"  Oh,  you  need  not  look  surprised,"  replied  Sher 
man;  "for  I  have  no  doubt  that  you  and  that  bog-trot 
ting  Irish  coachman  have  had  fun  enough  at  my  expense 
before  this  time." 

I  assured  him  that  I  positively  had  not  heard  the 


A  STORY-CHAPTER  735 

coachman  speak  on  the  subject,  and  begged  him  to  tell 
me  what  had  occurred  to  vex  him  in  this  manner. 

"  Why,  if  you  don't  already  know,"  replied  Sherman, 
"  I  would  not  have  you  know  for  twenty  pounds,  for  you 
would  be  sure  to  publish  it.  However,  now  your  curi 
osity  is  excited,  you  would  be  certain  to  find  it  all  out, 
if  you  had  to  hire  a  post-chaise,  and  ride  there  on  pur 
pose  ;  so  I  may  as  well  tell  you." 

"  Do  tell  me,"  I  replied,  "  for  I  confess  my  curiosity 
is  excited,  and  I  am  unable  to  guess  why  you  are  so 
angry ;  for  I  know  you  love  to  see  castles,  and  that 
pleasure  you  surely  have  enjoyed,  for  I  caught  a  glimpse 
of  one  myself." 

"  No,  you  have  not  seen  a  castle  to-day,  nor  I  either  ! " 
exclaimed  Sherman. 

"What  on  earth  was  it,  then?"  I  asked. 

"  A  thundering  old  lime-kiln  !  "  exclaimed  Sherman  ; 
"  and  I  only  wish  I  could  pitch  that  infernal  Irish  coach 
man  into  it  while  it  was  under  full  blast !  " 

It  was  many  a  long  day  before  Sherman  heard  the  last 
of  the  lime-kiln ;  in  fact,  this  trick  of  the  Irish  coach 
man  rendered  him  cautious  in  making  inquiries  of  stran 
gers. 

One  day  we  rode  to  Donnybrook,  the  place  so  much 
celebrated  for  its  fairs  and  its  black  eyes ;  for  it  would 
be  quite  out  of  character  for  Pat  to  attend  a  fair  without 
having  a  flourish  of  the  shillelah,  and  a  scrimmage 
which  would  result  in  a  few  broken  heads  and  bloody 
noses. 

Near  Donnybrook  we  saw  something  on  the  summit 
of  a  hill  which  appeared  like  a  round  stone  tower.  It 
was  probably  sixty  feet  in  circumference  and  twenty-five 
feet  high. 


786  A  STOHY-CHAPTER. 

"  I  would  like  to  know  what  that  is,"  said  Sherman. 

I  advised  him  to  inquire  of  the  first  coachman  that 
came  along,  but,  with  a  forced  smile,  he  declined  my 
advice. 

"  It  can't  be  a  lime-kiln,  at  any  rate,"  continued  Sher 
man  ;  "  it  must  be  a  castle  of  some  description." 

The  more  we  looked  at  it  the  more  mysterious  did  it 
appear  to  us,  and  Sherman's  castle-hunting  propensities 
momentarily  increased.  At  last  he  exclaimed :  "A  man 
who  travels  with  a  tongue  in  his  head  is  a  fool  if  he 
do  n't  use  it ;  and  I  am  not  going  within  a  hundred 
rods  of  what  may  be  the  greatest  curiosity  in  Ireland, 
without  knowing  it." 

With  that  he  turned  our  horse's  head  towards  a  fine- 
looking  mansion  on  our  right,  where  we  halted.  Sher 
man  jumped  from  the  carriage,  opened  the  small  gate, 
proceeded  up  the  alley  of  the  lawn  fronting  the  house, 
and  rang  the  bell.  A  servant  appeared  at  the  door ; 
but  Sherman,  knowing  the  stupidity  of  Irish  servants, 
was  determined  to  apply  at  head-quarters  for  the  infor 
mation  he  so  much  desired. 

"  Is  your  master  in  I  "  asked  Sherman. 

"  I  will  see,  sir.     What  name,  if  you  plaze?  " 

"  A  stranger  from  the  United  States  of  America  !  " 
replied  Sherman. 

The  servant  departed,  and  in  a  minute  returned  and 
invited  Sherman  to  enter  the  parlor.  He  found  the 
gentleman  of  the  mansion  sitting  by  a  pleasant  fire,  near 
which  were  also  his  lady  and  several  visitors  and  mem 
bers  of  the  family.  Sherman  was  not  troubled  with 
diffidence.  Being  seated,  he  hoped  he  would  be  excused 
for  having  called  without  an  invitation;  but  the  fact 
was,  he  was  an  American  traveller,  desirous  of  picking 


A  STORY-CHAPTER  737 

up  all  important  information  that  might  fall  in  his 
way. 

The  gentleman  politely  replied  that  no  apology  was 
necessary,  that  he  was  most  happy  to  see  him,  and  that 
any  information  which  he  could  impart  regarding  that 
or  any  other  portion  of  the  country  should  be  given 
with  pleasure. 

"  Thank  you,"  replied  Sherman ;  "  I  will  not  trouble 
you  except  on  a  single  point.  I  have  seen  all  that  is 
important  in  Dublin  and  its  vicinity,  and  in  and  about 
Donnybrook  ;  there  is  but  one  thing  respecting  which  I 
want  information,  and  that  is  the  stone  tower  or  castle 
which  we  see  standing  on  the  hill,  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  south  of  your  house.  If  you  could  give  me  the 
name  and  history  of  that  pile,  I  shall  feel  extremely 
obliged." 

"  Oh,  nothing  is  easier,"  replied  the  gentleman,  with 
a  smile.  "  That '  pile,'  as  you  call  it,  was  built  some 
forty  years  ago  by  my  father ;  and  it  was  a  lucky 
'  pile '  for  him,  for  it  was  the  only  windmill  in  these 
parts,  and  always  had  plenty  to  do:  but  a  few  years  ago 
a  hurricane  carried  off  the  wings  of  the  mill,  and  ever 
since  that  it  has  stood  as  it  now  does,  a  memorial  of  its 
former  usefulness.  Is  there  any  other  important  infor 
mation  that  I  can  give  you  ] "  asked  the  gentleman,  with 
a  smile. 

"  Not  any,"  replied  Sherman,  rising  to  depart:  "  but 
perhaps  I  can  give  you  some  ;  and  that  is,  that  Ireland 
is,  beyond  all  dispute,  the  meanest  country  I  ever  trav 
elled  in.  The  only  two  objects  worthy  of  note  that  I 
have  seen  in  all  Ireland  are  a  lime-kiln  and  the  founda 
tion  for  a  windmill !  " 

Upon  resuming  his  seat  in  the  carriage,  Sherman 
34 


7B8  A  STORY-CHAPTER 

laughed  immoderately,  although  he  evidently  felt  some 
what  chagrined  by  this  second  mistake  in  searching  for 
undent  castles. 

Calling  one  day  in  one  of  the  principal  hotels  in  Dub 
lin,  I  noticed  among  the  "  rules  "  framed  and  hung  in 
the  coffee-room  for  the  warning,  instruction,  or  enter 
tainment  of  the  guests  of  the  house,  the  following  : 

"  No  Gambling  or  Politics  will  be  allowed  to  take 
place  in  this  house,  by  any  parties  whatever." 

How  politics  could  "  take  place  "  in  an  Irish  hotel,  or 
elsewhere,  would  have  been  a  mystery  to  me,  if  I  did 
not  remember  that  the  "  scrimmages  "  and  rows,  which 
often  follow  the  mere  discussion  of  politics,  seemed  to 
warrant  the  landlord  in  classing  politics  with  gambling, 
or  any  other  dangerous  amusement  which  might  take 
place  in  the  coffee-room  of  an  Irish  inn. 

Speaking  of  Irishmen,  I  am  reminded  of  an  illustra 
tion  of  ready  Irish  wit,  which  is  located  on  the  line  of 
the  Boston  and  Fitchburg  Railroad.  Some  years  ago, 
the  Reverend  Thomas  Whittemore,  a  wealthy  Univer- 
salist  minister,  who  was  a  large  stockholder  in  the  road, 
was  appointed  president  of  the  company ;  and,  as  he  was 
exceedingly  conscientious  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty, 
he  once  took  upon  himself  to  walk  over  every  foot  of 
the  route,  to  see  if  every  part  of  the  road  was  in  com 
plete  order.  Walking  along  in  this  way  and  alone,  he 
came  to  a  place  where  a  loose  rail  lay  alongside  of  the 
track ;  and,  seeing  an  Irishman  near  by,  who  was  appar 
ently  employed  on  the  road,  Mr.  Whittemore  called  out 
to  him  :  m  ' 

"  Here,  Pat,  pick  up  this  rail,  and  lay  it  alongside  ef 
the  fence  out  of  the  way,  till  it  is  wanted." 
*  It  never  occurred  to  Mr.  Whittemore  that  every  man 


A  STORY-CHAPTER  739 

whom  he  met  did  not  know  him  and  his  official  posi 
tion  ;  hut  Pat,  not  dreaming  that  his  virtual  employer, 
the  president  of  the  railroad  company,  was  giving  him 
an  order,  sharply  answered  : 

"  Jist  go  to  the  divil,  will  ye  1 " 

"  My  dear  friend,"  said  the  smiling  Whittemore,  who 
instantly  comprehended  "  the  situation"  —  that  is,  that 
Pat  did  not  know  him,  and  no  particular  wonder,  either 
—  '"go  to  the  devil  I '  why,  that  is  the  last  place  I  should 
desire  to  go  to  !  " 

"  An'  faith,  an'  I  think  it's  the  last  place  you  will  be 
goin'  to,"  responded  Pat.  rcfjcj 

Of  railroads  and  railroad  travel  and  employees  I  have 
heard  and  told  no  end  of  stories ;  but  one  of  the  latest 
and  best,  I  think,  is  told  of  a  man  in  a  town  "  down 
East,"  who  had  some  difficulty  with  a  conductor,  and 
vowed  that  not  another  cent  of  his  money  should  ever 
go  into  the  treasury  of  that  company. 

"  B.ut,"  said  the  conductor  of  the  road,  "  you  own 
property  in  one  place  on  the  line,  and  do  business  in 
another  place,  and  are  obliged  to  go  back  and  forth 
almost  every  day :  how  are  you  going  to  help  paying 
something  to  the  company  ?  " 

"  Oh !  hereafter  I  shall  pay  my  fare  to  you  in  the 
cars,"  was  the  reply. 

It  may  be  a  joke,  but  conductors  themselves,  that  is, 
some  of  them,  are  more  or  less  facetious  on  the  subject 
of  what  in  the  vernacular  is  known  as  "  knocking  down." 
Soon  after  the  conductors  on  the  New  York  and  New 
Haven  Railroad  were  put  in  costume  while  on  duty,  and 
were  obliged  to  wear  a  badge  bearing  the  initials  of  the 
company,  my  friend  Eev.  Dr.  Chapin  was  accompanying 
me  over  the  road  to  my  Bridgeport  home,  when  along 


740  A  STORY-CHAPTER 

came  a  conductor,  whom  we  both  knew  well,  to  collect 
our  fares. 

"  Ah,  I  see,"  said  Dr.  Chapin,  pointing  to  the  letters 
on  the  new  badge,  "  N.  H.,  N.  Y.,  — 4  Neither  Here, 
Nor  Yonder." 

"  No,"  whispered  the  conductor  confidentially  in  the 
Doctor's  ear ;  "  it  means,  4  New  House,  Next  Year.' " 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  tell  the  thousands  who 
know  Dr.  Chapin  that  he  is  a  man  of  most -ready  wit, 
and  an  inveterate  punster.  One  day,  when  we  were 
dining  together,  I  was  carving  a  chicken,  which  the 
Doctor  pronounced  a  "  hen-ous  offence,"  when,  having 
some  difficulty  with  a  tough  wing,  I  exclaimed : 

"  How  shall  I  get  the  thing  off,  anyhow  ? " 

"  Pullet,"  gravely  answered  the  Doctor. 

"  Eggsactly,"  said  I. 

Then  began  what  the  Doctor  called  a  "  battle  of  the 
spurs,"  —  I  trying  to  "  crow  "  over  the  Doctor,  and  he 
endeavoring  to  upset  my  "  cackle-ations " ;  urging  me 
meanwhile  to  "  scratch  away,"  till  at  last  I  told  him,  if 
he  made  another  pun  on  that  "  lay,"  he  would  knock 
me  off  the  roost.  •  *!>> 

"  Oh,  then,"  said  the  Doctor,  finally  feathering  his 
nest,  "  Sha'n't  I  clear?!" 

An  equally 'fowl  pun  of  the  Doctor's  was  perpetrated 
in  cold  blood,  or  rather  in  very  cold  water,  down  at 
Rockport,  Massachusetts.  Thither  every  summer  sea 
son  were  wont  to  congregate,  for  their  vacation,  such 
celebrated  clergymen  as  Starr  King,  Dr.  Chapin,  and 
others,  mainly  for  the  fine  sea-bathing  there.  One  sea 
son  Dr.  Chapin  arrived  at  least  a  fortnight  behind  the 
rest ;  and,  when  they  went  down  bathing  together,  the 
acclimated  visitors  pronounced  the  water  to  be  "  delight 
ful,"  "just  right,"  and  so  on. 


A  STORY-CHAPTER.  741 

"  But  isn't  it  cold  1 "  asked  Dr.  Chapin. 

"  Oh,  no,"  replied  Starr  King  ;  "  you  have  only  to  go 
down  and  up  twice,  and  you  are  warm  enough." 

"  Ah,  I  see  how  it  is,"  said  Dr.  Chapin,  who  tried  the 
experiment  and  came  up  half  frozen  ;  "  you  are  warm 
after  down  and  up  twice  ?  Why,  that 's  a  pair  o'  ducks  !  " 

Fowls  naturally  suggest  the  market,  and  this  brings 
to  mind  a  neighbor  of  mine  in  New  York  who  keeps 
two  things,  —  a  boarding-house,  and  "  bad  hours."  His 
wife  justly  suspected  him  of  gambling ;  but  he  generally 
managed  to  get  in  before  midnight,  and  always  had 
money  enough  in  his  pocket  to  go  to  market  with  in 
the  morning.  On  one  occasion,  however,  after  gambling 
all  night,  he  did  not  come  home  till  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  when,  after  a  sound  scolding  from  his  wife  for 
staying  out  all  night  and  "  gambling,"  as  she  insisted, 
he  was  sent  to  market  to  get  something  for  breakfast. 
Returning,  he  was  again  berated  by  his  wife  for  gam 
bling,  he  protesting  all  the  while  that  he  had  been 
"  spending  the  night  with  a  sick  friend." 

His  wife  might  have  believed  him,  if  he  had  not  sat 
down  at  the  head  of  the  table,  half  asleep,  and  solemnly 
passed  the  bread  to  the  nearest  boarder  with  the  exclama 
tion,  — 

"Cut!" 

"  That's  your  'sick  friend!'  '  exclaimed  the  wife, 
while  a  general  roar  around  the  table  woke  the  host  to 
the  fact  that  he  was  passing  bread,  and  not  a  pack  of 
cards. 

This  story-telling  carries  me  back  to  my  boyhood  days 
at  Bethel,  and  brings  to  mind  an  old  clerical  acquaint 
ance  whom  I  knew  long  before  I  met  Dr.  Chapin.  The 
flev.  Richard  Varick  Dey,  who  resided  at  Greenfield, 


742  A  STORY-CHAPTER. 

Connecticut,  was  in  the  habit  of  coming  to  Bethel  to 
preach  on  Sabbath  evenings.  He  was  a  very  eloquent 
preacher,  and  an  eccentric  man.  He  possessed  fine  tal 
ents  ;  his  sermons  were  rich  in  pathos  and  wit ;  and  he 
was  exceedingly  popular  with  the  world's  people.  The 
more  straight-laced,  however,  were  afraid  of  him.  His 
remarks  both  in  and  out  of  the  pulpit  would  frequently 
rub  hard  against  some  popular  dogma,  or  knock  in  the 
head  some  favorite  religious  tenet.  Mr.  Dey  was  there* 
fore  frequently  in  hot  water  with  the  church,  and  was 
either  "  suspended,"  or  about  to  be  brought  to  trial 
for  some  alleged  breach  of  ministerial  duty,  or  some 
suspected  heresy.  While  thus  debarred  from  preaching, 
he  felt  that  he  must  do  something  to  support  his  family. 
With  this  view  he  visited  Bethel,  Danbury,  and  other 
towns,  and  delivered  "  Lectures,"  at  the  termination  of 
which,  contributions  for  his  benefit  were  taken  up.  I 
remember  his  lecturing  in  Bethel  on  "  Charity."  This 
discourse  overflowed  with  eloquence  and  pathos,  and 
terminated  in  a  contribution  of  more  than  fifty  dollars. 

It  was  said  that  on  one  occasion  Mr.  Dey  was  about 
to  be  tried  before  an  ecclesiastical  body  at  Middletown. 
There  being  no  railroads  in  those  days,  many  persons 
travelled  on  horseback.  Two  days  before  the  trial  was 
to  take  place,  Mr.  Dey  started  for  Middletown  alone, 
and  on  horseback.  His  valise  was  fastened  behind  the 
saddle  ;  and,  putting  on  his  large  great-coat  surmounted 
with  a  half  a  dozen  broad  "  capes,"  as  was  the  fashion 
of  that  period,  and  donning  a  broad-brimmed  hat,  he 
mounted  his  horse  and  started  for  the  scene  of  trial. 

On  the  second  day  of  his  journey,  and  some  ten  miles 
before  reaching  Middletown,  he  overtook  a  brother 
clergyman,  also  on  horseback,  who  was  wending  his 
way  to  the  Consociation. 


A  STOItY-OKAPTEK.  743 

He  was  a  man  perhaps  sixty  years  of  age,  and  his 
silvered  locks  stood  out  like  porcupine  quills.  His  iron 
visage,  which  seemed  never  to  have  worn  a  smile,  his 
sinister  expression,  small,  keen,  selfish-looking  eyes,  and 
compressed  lips,  convinced  Mr.  Dey  that  he  had  no 
hope  of  mercy  from  that  man  as  one  of  his  judges. 
The  reverend  gentlemen  soon  fell  into  conversation* 
The  sanctimonious  clergyman  gave  his  name  and  resi 
dence,  and  inquired  those  of  Mr.  Dey. 

"  My  name  is  Mr.  Richard,"  replied  Rev.  Richard  V. 
Dey,  "  and  my  residence  is  Fail-field."  (Greenfield  is  a 
parish  in  the  town  of  Fairfield.) 

"  Ah,"  exclaimed  the  other  clergyman ;  "  then  you 
live  near  Mr.  Dey :  do  you  know  him  ? " 

"  Perfectly  well,"  responded  the  eccentric  Richard. 

"Well,  what  do  you  think  of  him?"  inquired  the 
anxious  brother. 

"  He  is  a  wide-awake,  cunning  fellow,  one  whom  I 
should  be  sorry  to  offend,  for  I  would  not  like  to  fall 
into  his  clutches ;  but,  if  compelled  to  do  so,  I  could 
divulge  some  things  which  would  astonish  our  Conso 
ciation." 

"  Is  it  possible  ?  Well,  of  course  your  duty  to  the 
Church  and  the  Redeemer's  cause  will  prompt  you  to 
make  a  clean  breast  of  it,  and  divulge  everything  you 
know  against  the  accused,"  responded  the  excited 
clergyman. 

"  It  is  hard  to  destroy  a  brother's  reputation  and 
break  up  the  peace  of  his  family,"  answered  the  meek 
Mr.  Richard. 

46  It  is  the  duty  of  the  elect  to  expose  and  punish  the 
reprobates,"  replied  the  sturdy  Puritan. 

"  But  had  I  not  better  first  tell  our  brother  his  fault, 


744  A  STORY-CHAPTER. 

and  give  him  an  opportunity  to  confess  and  be  for 
given  ? " 

"  Our  brother,  as  you  call  him,  is  undoubtedly  a 
heretic,  and  the  true  faith  is  wounded  by  his  presence 
amongst  us.  The  Church  must  be  purged  from  unbe 
lief.  We  must  beware  of  those  who  would  introduce 
damnable  heresies." 

"  Are  you  sure  that  Mr.  Dey  is  an  unbeliever  ] "  in 
quired  the  modest  Mr.  Eichard. 

"  I  have  heard  that  he  throws  doubt  upon  the  Trinity, 
—  shrugs  his  shoulders  at  some  portions  of  the  Say- 
brook  Platform,  and  has  said  that  even  reprobates  may 
sincerely  repent,  pray  for  forgiveness,  and  be  saved ; 
ay,  that  he  even  doubts  the  damnation  of  unregenerate 
infants ! " 

"  Horrible  !  "  ejaculated  Mr.  Kichard. 

"  Yes,  horrible  indeed !  But  I  trust  that  our  Conso 
ciation  will  excommunicate  him  at  once  and  forever. 
But  what  do  you  know  concerning  his  belief?" 

"  I  know  nothing  specially  against  his  belief,"  re 
sponded  Mr.  Richard ;  "  but  I  have  witnessed  some  of 
his  acts,  which  I  should  be  almost  sorry  to  expose." 

"  A  mistaken  charity.  It  is  your  duty  to  tell  the 
Consociation  all  you  know  regarding  the  culprit,  and  I 
shall  insist  upon  your  doing  so." 

ic  I  certainly  desire  to  do  that  which  is  right  and  just  ; 
and,  as  I  am  but  young  in  the  ministry,  I  shall  defer 
to  your  judgment,  founded  on  age  and  experience.  But 
I  would  prefer  at  first  to  state  to  you  what  I  know,  and 
then  will  be  guided  by  your  advice  in  regard  to  giving 
my  testimony  before  the  Consociation." 

"  A  very  proper  course.  You  can  state  the  facts  to 
me,  and  I  will  give  you  my  counsel.  Now  what  do  you 
know  ? " 


A  STORY-CHAPTER.  745 

"  I  know  that  on  more  than  one  occasion  1  have  caught 
him  in  the  act  of  kissing  my  wife,"  replied  the  injured 
Mr.  Richard. 

"  I  am  not  at  all  astonished,"  responded  the  clergy 
man  ;  "  such  conduct  coincides  exactly  with  the  opinion 
I  had  formed  of  the  man.  I  commiserate  you,  sir,  but  I 
honor  your  sense  of  duty  in  divulging  such  important 
facts,  even  at  the  expense  of  exposing  serious  troubles 
in  your  domestic  relations.  But,  sir,  justice  must  have 
its  course.  These  facts  must  be  testified  to  before  the 
Consociation.  Do  you  know  anything  else  against  the 
delinquent?" 

"  I  know  something  more ;  but  it  is  of  a  nature  so 
delicate,  and  concerns  me  personally  so  seriously,  that  I 
must  decline  divulging  it." 

"  Sir,  you  cannot  do  that.  I  will  not  permit  it,  but 
will  insist  on  your  telling  the  whole  truth  before  our 
Consociation,  though  your  heart-strings  were  to  break 
in  consequence.  I  repeat,  sir,  that  I  sympathize  with 
you  personally,  but  personal  feelings  must  be  swallowed 
up  in  the  promotion  of  public  good.  No  sympathy  fof 
an  individual  can  be  permitted  to  clash  with  the  interests 
of  the  true  Church.  You  had  better  tell  me,  sir,  all  you 
know." 

"  Since  you  say  that  duty  requires  it,  I  will  do  so.  I 
have  caught  him,  under  very  suspicious  circumstances, 
in  my  wife's  bedroom,"  said  the  unfortunate  Mr.  Richard. 

"  Was  your  wife  in  bed  ?  "  inquired  the  man  with  the 
iron  face. 

"  She  was,"  faintly  lisped  the  almost  swooning  Mr, 
Richard. 

"  Enough,  enough,"  was  the  response.  "  Our  Conso 
ciation  will  soon  dispose  of  the  Rev.  Richard  V.  Dey." 

34* 


746  A  STOIiY-CHAPTER. 

The  two  clergymen  had  now  arrived  at  Middletown. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Vinegarface  rode  to  the  parsonage,  while 
Mr.  Dey,  alias  "  Mr.  Richard,"  went  to  a  small  and 
obscure  inn. 

The  Consociation  commenced  the  next  day.  This 
ecclesiastical  body  was  soon  organized,  and,  after  dispos 
ing  of  several  minor  questions,  it  was  proposed  to  take 
up  the  charges  of  heresy  against  the  Rev.  Mr.  Dey. 
The  accused,  with  a  most  demure  countenance,  was  con 
versing  with  his  quondam  travelling  companion  of  the 
day  previous,  who  upon  hearing  this  proposition  instantly 
sprang  to  his  feet,  and  informed  the  reverend  Chairman 
that  providentially  he  had  been  put  in  possession  of  facts 
which  must  necessarily  result  in  the  immediate  expul 
sion  of  the  culprit  from  the  Church,  and  save  the  neces 
sity  of  examining  testimony  on  the  question  of  heresy. 
"  In  fact,"  continued  he,  "  I  am  prepared  to  prove  that 
the  Rev.  Richard  V.  Dey  has  frequently  kissed  the  wife 
of  one  of  our  brethren,  and  has  also  been  caught  in  a 
situation  which  affords  strong  evidence  of  his  being  guilty 
of  the  crime  of  adultery !  " 

A  thrill  of  horror  and  surprise  ran  through  the  assem 
bly.  Every  eye  was  turned  to  Mr.  Dey,  who  was  seated 
so  closely  to  the  last  speaker  that  he  touched  him  as  he 
resumed  his  seat.  Mr.  Dey's  countenance  was  as  placid 
as  a  May  morning,  and  it  required  keen  vision  to  detect 
the  lurking  smile  of  satisfaction  that  peeped  from  a 
corner  of  his  eye.  A  few  minutes  of  dead  silence 
elapsed. 

"  Produce  your  witnesses,"  finally  said  the  Chairman, 
in  an  almost  sepulchral  voice. 

"  I  call  on  the  Rev.  Mr.  Richard,  of  Fairfield,  to  cor 
roborate  under  oath  the  charges  which  I  have  made," 
resDonded  the  hard-visaged  Puritan. 


A  STORY-CHAPTER.  747 

Not  a  person  moved.  Mr,  Dey  looked  as  unconcerned 
as  if  he  was  an  utter  stranger  to  all  present,  and  under 
stood  not  the  language  which  they  were  speaking. 

"Where  is  the  Rev.  Mr.  Richard]"  inquired  the 
venerable  Chairman. 

"  Here  he  is,"  responded  the  accuser,  familiarly  tap 
ping  Mr.  Dey  on  the  shoulder. 

The  whole  audience  burst  into  such  a  roar  of  laughter 
as  probably  never  was  heard  in  a  like  Consociation 
before. 

The  accuser  was  almost  petrified  with  astonishment 
at  such  inconceivable  conduct  on  the  part  of  that  sedate 
religious  assembly. 

Mr.  Dey  alone  maintained  the  utmost  gravity. 

"  That,  sir,  is  the  Rev.  Richard  V.  Dey,"  replied  the 
Chairman,  when  order  was  restored. 

The  look  of  utter  dismay  which  instantly  marked  the 
countenance  of  the  accuser  threw  the  assembly  into 
another  convulsion  of  laughter,  during  which  Mr.  Dey's 
victim  withdrew,  and  was  not  seen  again  in  Middletown. 
The  charges  of  heresy  were  then  brought  forward. 
After  a  brief  investigation,  they  were  dismissed  for  want 
of  proof,  and  Mr.  Dey  returned  to  Greenfield  trium 
phant. 

I  have  often  heard  Mr.  Dey  relate  the  following  anec 
dote.  A  young  couple  called  on  him  one  day  at  his  house 
in  Greenfield.  They  informed  him  that  they  were  from 
the  southern  portion  of  the  State,  and  desired  to  be 
married.  They  were  well  dressed,  made  considerable 
display  of  jewelry,  and  altogether  wore  an  air  of  respect 
ability.  Mr.  Dey  felt  confident  that  all  was  right,  and, 
calling  in  several  witnesses,  he  proceeded  to  unite  them 
in  the  holy  bonds  of  wedlock. 


748  A  STORY-CHAPTER 

After  the  ceremonies  were  concluded,  Mr.  Dey  invited 
the  happy  pair  (as  was  usual  in  those  days)  to  partake 
of  some  cake  and  wine.  They  thus  spent  a  social  half- 
hour  together,  and,  on  rising  to  depart,  the  bridegroom 
handed  Mr.  Dey  a  twenty-dollar  bank  note ;  remarking 
that  this  was  the  smallest  bill  he  had,  but,  if  he  would 
be  so  good  as  to  pay  their  hotel  bill  (they  had  merely 
dined  and  fed  their  horse  at  the  hotel),  he  could  retain 
the  balance  of  the  money  for  his  services.  Mr.  Dey 
thanked  him  for  his  liberality,  and  went  at  once  to 
the  hotel  with  the  lady  and  gentleman,  and  informed  the 
landlord  that  he  would  settle  their  bill.  They  proceeded 
on  their  journey,  and  the  next  day  it  was  discovered  that 
the  bank-note  was  a  counterfeit,  and  that  Mr.  Dey  had 
to  pay  nearly  three  dollars  for  the  privilege  of  marrying 
this  loving  couple. 

The  newspapers  in  various  parts  of  the  State  subse 
quently  published  facts  which  showed  that  the  affec 
tionate  pair  got  married  in  every  town  they  passed 
through,  —  thus  paying  their  expenses  and  fleecing  the 
clergymen  by  means  of  counterfeits. 

One  of  the  deacons  of  Mr.  Dey's  church  asked  him  if 
he  usually  kissed  the  bride  at  weddings.  "  Always," 
was  the  reply. 

"  How  do  you  manage  when  the  happy  pair  are 
negroes  ] "  was  the  deacon's  next  question.  "  In  all 
such  cases,"  replied  Mr.  Dey,  "  the  duty  of  kissing  is 
appointed  to  the  deacons." 

My  grandfather  was  a  Universalist,  and  for  various 
reasons,  fancied  or  real,  he  was  bitterly  opposed  to  the 
Presbyterians  in  doctrinal  views,  though  personally  some 
of  them  were  his  warmest  and  most  intimate  friends. 
Being  much  attached  to  Mr.  Dey,  he  induced  that  gen- 


A  STORY-CHAPTER.  749 

tleman  to  deliver  a  series  of  Sunday  evening  sermons  in 
Bethel;  and  my  grandfather  was  not  only  on  all  these 
occasions  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  attentive 
hearers,  but  Mr.  Dey  was  always  his  guest.  He  would 
generally  stop  over  Monday  and  Tuesday  with  my 
grandfather,  and,  as  several  of  the  most  social  neighbors 
were  called  in,  they  usually  had  a  jolly  time  of  it.  Oc 
casionally  "  mine  host "  would  attack  Mr.  Dey  good- 
naturedly  on  theological  points,  and  would  generally 
come  off  second  best;  but  he  delighted,  although  van 
quished,  to  repeat  the  sharp  answers  with  which  Mr. 
Dey  met  his  objections  to  the  "  Confession  of  Faith." 

One  day,  when  a  dozen  or  more  of  the  neighbors  were 
present,  and  enjoying  themselves  in  passing  around  the 
bottle,  relating  anecdotes,  and  cracking  jokes,  my  grand 
father  called  out  in  a  loud  tone  of  voice,  which  at  once 
arrested  the  attention  of  all  present : 

"  Friend  Dey,  I  believe  you  pretend  to  believe  in 
foreordination  ? " 

"To  be  sure  I  do,"  replied  Mr.  Dey. 

"  Well,  now,  suppose  I  should  spit  in  your  face,  what 
would  you  do  ? "  inquired  my  grandfather. 

"  I  hope  that  is  not  a  supposable  case,"  responded 
Mr.  Dey,  "  for  I  should  probably  knock  you  down." 

"  That  would  be  very  inconsistent,"  replied  my  grand 
father,  exultingly ;  "  for  if  I  spat  in  your  face  it  would 
be  because  it  was  foreordained  I  should  do  so :  why 
then  would  you  be  so  unreasonable  as  to  knock  me 
down?" 

"  Because  it  would  be  foreordained  that  I  should 
knock  you  down,"  replied  Mr.  Dey,  with  a  smile. 

The  company  burst  into  a  laugh,  in  which  my  grand 
father  heartily  joined. 


750  A  STOIIY-CHAPTER 

My  father,  as  well  as  my  grandfather,  was  very  fond 
of  a  practical  joke,  and  he  lost  no  occasion  which 
offered  for  playing  off  one  upon  his  friends  and  neigh 
bors.  In  addition  to  his  store,  tavern,  and  freight-wagon 
business  to  Norwalk,  he  kept  a  small  livery-stable ;  and 
on  one  occasion,  a  young  man  named  Nelson  Beers 
applied  to  him  for  the  use  of  a  horse  to  ride  to  Danbury, 
a  distance  of  three  miles.  Nelson  was  an  apprentice  to 
the  shoe-making  business,  nearly  out  of  his  time,  was 
not  over-stocked  with  brains,  and  lived  a  mile  and  a  half 
east  of  our  village.  My  father  thought  that  it  would  be 
better  for  Nelson  to  make  his  short  journey  on  foot  than 
to  be  at  the  expense  of  hiring  a  horse,  but  he  did  not 
tell  him  so. 

We  had  an  old  horse  named  "  Bob."  Having  reached 
an  age  beyond  his  teens,  he  was  turned  out  in  a  bog  lot 
near  our  house  to  die.  He  was  literally  a  "  living  skel 
eton," —  much  in  the  same  condition  of  the  Yankee's 
nag,  which  was  so  weak  his  owner  had  to  hire  his 
neighbor's  horse  to  help  him  draw  his  last  breath.  My 
father,  in  reply  to  Nelson's  application,  told  him  that  the 
livery  horses  were  all  out,  and  he  had  none  at  home 
except  a  famous  "  race-horse,"  which  he  was  keeping  in 
low  flesh  in  order  to  have  him  in  proper  trim  to  win  a 
great  race  soon  to  come  off. 

"Oh,  do  let  me  have  him,  Uncle  Phile  "  (my  father's 
name  was  Philo  ;  but,  as  it  was  the  custom  in  that  region 
to  call  everybody  uncle,  or  aunt,  or  squire,  or  deacon,  or 
colonel,  or  captain,  my  father's  general  title  among  his 
acquaintances  was  "  Uncle  Phile").  "  I  will  ride  him 
very  carefully,  and  not  injure  him  in  the  least ;  besides,  I 
will  have  him  rubbed  down  and  fed  in  Danbury,"  said 
Nelson  Beers. 


A  STORY-CHAPTER.  751 

"  He  is  too  valuable  an  animal  to  risk  in  the  hands  of 
a  young  man  like  you,"  responded  my  father. 

Nelson  continued  to  importune,  and  my  father  to  play 
off,  until  it  was  finally  agreed  that  the  horse  could  be 
had  on  the  condition  that  he  should  in  no  case  be  ridden 
faster  than  a  walk  or  slow  trot,  and  that  he  should  be 
fed  four  quarts  of  oats  at  Danbury. 

Nelson  started  on  his  Eosinante,  looking  for  all  the 
world  as  if  he  was  on  a  mission  to  the  carrion  crows ; 
but  he  felt  every  inch  a  man,  for  he  fancied  himself 
astride  of  the  greatest  race-horse  in  the  country,  and 
realized  that  a  heavy  responsibility  was  resting  on  his 
shoulders,  for  the  last  words  of  my  father  to  him  were : 
"  Now,  Nelson,  if  any  accident  should  happen  to  this 
animal  while  under  your  charge,  you  could  not  pay  the 
damage  in  a  lifetime  of  labor." 

Old  "  Bob  "  was  duly  oated  and  watered  at  Danbury, 
and  at  the  end  of  several  hours  Mr.  Beers  mounted  him 
and  started  for  Bethel.  He  concluded  to  take  the 
44  great  pasture "  road  home,  that  being  the  name  of  a 
new  road  cut  through  swamps  and  meadows  as  a  shorter 
route  to  our  village.  Nelson,  for  the  nonce  forgetting 
his  responsibility,  probably  tried  the  speed  of  his  race 
horse  and  soon  broke  him  down.  At  all  events 
something  occurred  to  weaken  old  Bob's  nerves,  for  he 
came  to  a  stand-still  and  Nelson  was  forced  to  dismount. 
The  horse  trembled  with  weakness  and  Nelson  Beers 
trembled  with  fright.  A  small  brook  was  running 
through  the  bogs  at  the  roadside,  and  Beers,  thinking 
that  perhaps  his  "  race-horse  "  needed  a  drink,  led  him 
into  the  stream.  Poor  old  "  Bob  "  stuck  fast  in  the  mud, 
and,  not  having  strength  to  withdraw  his  feet,  quietly 
closed  his  eyes,  and,  like  a  patriarch  as  he  was,  he 


75  2  A  STORY-CHAPTER 

dropped  into  the  soft  bed  that  was  awaiting  him,  and 
died  without  a  single  kick. 

No  language  can  describe  the  consternation  of  poor 
Beers.  He  could  not  believe  his  eyes,  and  vainly  tried 
to  open  those  of  his  horse.  He  placed  his  ear  at  the 
mouth  of  poor  old  Bob,  but  took  it  away  again  in  utter 
dismay.  The  breath  had  ceased. 

At  last  Nelson,  groaning  as  he  thought  of  meeting  my 
father,  and  wondering  whether  eternity  added  to  time 
would  be  long  enough  for  him  to  earn  the  value  of  the 
horse,  took  the  bridle  from  the  "  dead-head,"  and  unbuck 
ling  the  girth,  drew  off  the' saddle,  placed  it  on  his  own 
back,  and  trudged  gloomily  towards  our  village. 

It  was  about  sundown  when  my  father  espied  his  vic 
tim  coming  up  the  street  with  the  saddle  and  bridle 
thrown  across  his  shoulders,  his  face  wearing  a  look  of 
the  most  complete  despair.  My  father  was  certain  that 
old  Bob  had  departed  this  life,  and  he  chuckled  inwardly 
and  quietly,  but  instantly  assumed  a  most  serious  coun 
tenance.  Poor  Beers  approached  more  slowly  and 
mournfully  than  if  he  was  following  a  dear  friend  to  the 
grave. 

When  he  Game  within  hailing  distance  my  father 
called  out,  "  Why,  Beers,  is  it  possible  you  have  been 
so  careless  as  to  let  that  race-horse  run  away  from  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  worse  than  that,  —  worse  than  that,  Uncle 
Phile,"  groaned  Nelson. 

"  Worse  than  that !  Then  he  has  been  stolen  by  some 
judge  of  valuable  horses.  Oh,  what  a  fool  I  was  to 
intrust  him  to  anybody !  "  exclaimed  my  father,  with  well- 
feigned  sorrow. 

"  No,  he  tiin't  stolen,  Uncle  Phile,"  said  Nelson. 

"Not  stolen!     Well,  I  am  glad  of  that,  for  I  shall 


A  STOKY-CHAPTER.  753 

recover  him  again  ;  but  where  is  he  ]  I  am  afraid  you 
have  lamed  him." 

"  Worse  than  that,"  drawled  the  unfortunate  Nelson. 

"  Well,  what  is  the  matter  ?  where  is  he  ]  what  ails 
him  1  "  asked  my  father. 

"  Oh,  I  can't  tell  you,  —  I  can't  tell  you !  "  said  Beers 
with  a  groan. 

"  But  you  must  tell  me,"  returned  my  father. 

"  It  will  break  your  heart,"  groaned  Beers. 

"  To  be  sure  it  will  if  he  is  seriously  injured,"  replied 
my  father ;  "  but  where  is  he  ?  " 

"He  is  dead!"  said  Beers,  as  he  nerved  himself  up 
for  the  announcement,  and  then,  closing  his  eyes,  sank 
into  a  chair  completely  overcome  with  fright. 

My  father  groaned  in  a  way  that  started  Nelson  to  his 
feet  again.  All  the  sensations  of  horror,  intense  agony, 
and  despair  were  depicted  to  the  life  on  my  father's 
countenance. 

"  Oh,  Uncle  Phile,  Uncle  Phile,  don't  be  too  hard 
with  me ;  I  would  n't  have  had  it  happen  for  all  the 
world,"  said  Beers. 

".You  can  never  recompense  me  for  that  horse," 
replied  my  father. 

"  I  know  it,  I  know  it,  Uncle  Phile ;  I  can  only  work 
for  you  as  long  as  I  live,  but  you  shall  have  my  services 
till  you  are  satisfied  after  my  apprenticeship  is  finished," 
returned  Beers* 

After  a  short  time  my  father  became  more  calm,  and, 
although  apparently  not  reconciled  to  his  loss,  he  asked 
Nelson  how  much  he  supposed  he  ought  to  owe  him. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know ;  I  am  no  judge  of  the  value  of 
blood  horses,  but  I  have  been  told  they  are  worth  for 
tunes  sometimes,"  replied  Beers. 


754  A  STORY-CHAPTER 

"  And  mine  was  one  of  the  best  in  the  world,"  said 
my  father,  "  and  in  such  perfect  condition  for  running, 
—  all  bone  and  muscle." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  saw  that,"  said  Beers,  despondingly,  but 
with  a  frankness  that  showed  he  did  not  wish  to  deny 
the  great  claims  of  the  horse  and  his  owner. 

"  Well,"  said  my  father,  with  a  sigh,  "  as  I  have  no 
desire  to  go  to  law  on  the  subject,  we  had  better  try  to 
agree  upon  the  value  of  the  horse.  You  may  mark  on 
a  slip  of  paper  what  sum  you  think  you  ought  to  owe 
me  for  him,  and  I  will  do  the  same ;  we  can  then  com 
pare  notes,  and  see  how  far  we  differ." 

"  I  will  mark,"  said  Beers,  "  but,  Uncle  Phile,  don't  be 
too  hard  with  me." 

"  I  will  be  as  easy  as  I  can,  and  endeavor  to  make 
some  allowance  for  your  situation,"  said  my  father ; 
"  but,  Nelson,  when  I  think  how  valuable  that  horse 
was,  of  course  I  must  mark  something  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  the  amount  of  cash  I  could  have  received 
for  him.  I  believe,  however,  Nelson,  that  you  are  an 
honest  young  man,  and  are  willing  to  do  what  you  think 
is  about  right.  I  therefore  wish  to  caution  you  not  to 
mark  down  one  cent  more  than  you  really  think,  under 
the  circumstances,  you  ought  to  pay  me  when  you  are 
able,  and  for  which  you  are  now  willing  to  give  me  your 
note  of  hand.  You  will  recollect  that  I  told  you,  when 
you  applied  for  the  horse,  that  I  did  not  wish  to  let  him 

go-" 

Nelson  gave  my  father  a  grateful  look,  and  assented 
to  all  he  said.  At  least  a  dozen  of  our  joke-loving 
neighbors  were  witnessing  the  scene  with  great  appar 
ent  solemnity.  Two  slips  of  paper  were  prepared  ;  my 
father  marked  on  one,  and  after  much  hesitation,  Beers 
c  rote  on  the  other. 


A  STORY-CHAPTER  755 

"  Well,  let  us  see  what  you  have  marked,"  said  my 
father. 

"  I  suppose  you  will  think  it  is  too  low,"  replied 
Beers,  handing  my  father  the  slip  of  paper. 

"  Only  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars !" 
exclaimed  my  father,  reading  the  paper ;  "  well,  there 
is  a  pretty  specimen  of  gratitude  for  you  !  " 

Nelson  was  humbled,  and  could  not  muster  sufficient 
courage  to  ask  my  father  what  he  had  marked.  Finally 
one  of  our  neighbors  asked  my  father  to  show  his  paper 
—  he  did  so.  He  had  marked,  "  Six  and  a  quarter 
cents'1  Our  neighbor  read  it  aloud,  and  a  shock  of 
mirth  ensued,  which  fairly  lifted  Beers  to  his  feet.  It 
was  some  time  before  he  could  comprehend  the  joke, 
and  when  he  became  fully  aware  that  no  harm  was  done, 
he  was  the  happiest  fellow  I  have  ever  seen. 

I  might  fill  a  volume  with  these  reminiscences  of  my 
younger  days,  but  turning  once  more  to  my  foreign  note 
books,  I  find  material  there  which  seems  to  claim  a  place 
in  this  story-chapter.  I  am  never  tired  of  telling  and 
laughing  at  some  of  my  mishaps  and  adventures  in  try 
ing  to  use  the  French  language,  when  I  first  went 
abroad.  It  was  no  unusual  thing  to  travel  half  a  day 
in  a  "  diligence,"  or  in  the  cars,  with  some  Englishman, 
as  I  would  afterwards  discover,  both  of  us  doing  our 
best  to  make  ourselves  intelligible  to  each  other  in 
French,  till  at  last,  in  despair,  one  or  the  other  would 
utter  the  conventional  conundrum : 

"  Parlez-vous  Anglais  ?  " 

"  Why,  of  course ;  I  am  an  American  "  (or  an  English 
man)  ;  and  then  a  mutual  roar  would  follow. 

American,  or  English,  or  Dutch  French  is  generally 
quite  a  different  thing  from  "  French  French."  Thus 


756  A  STOEY-CHAPTER 

I  could  always  understand  the  Dutchmen  who  spoke  to 
me  in  French  in  Amsterdam,  and  I  may  add,  they  could 
perfectly  understand  me.  We  spoke  the  same  patois.  I 
wrote  to  my  wife,  I  remember,  from  Amsterdam,  that  I 
found  they  spoke  much  purer  French  in  that  city  than 
in  Paris ! 

Once  on  arriving  in  Paris  at  the  station  of  the  North 
ern  Railway,  I,  with  other  passengers,  was  in  the  room 
devoted  to  the  examination  of  baggage.  Among  the 
rest,  was  a  party  consisting  of  a  New  York  merchant 
and  his  wife,  with  their  daughter,  a  young  lady  of  eigh 
teen,  who  was  at  once  volatile  and  voluble.  Undoubt 
edly,  she  had  spoken  the  best  Madison-Avenue  school 
French  for  five  years  or  more  ;  and  with  this  she  fairly 
overwhelmed  the  official  interpreter  who  was  present. 
After  hearing  her  for  full  five  minutes,  the  interpreter 
gravely  asked : 

"  Do  you  speak  English,  Miss  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Well,  speak  English  then,  if  you  please,  for  I  can 
understand  your  English  better  than  I  can  your 
French." 

I  was  one  evening  at  the  house  of  my  friend,  Mr. 
John  Nimmo,  in  Paris,  and  while  waiting  for  him  and 
his  family  to  return  from  the  theatre,  was  entertained  for 
an  hour  or  more  by  two  very  agreeable  young  ladies,  to 
whom  I  made  such  reply  in  French,  from  time  to  time, 
as  I  could.  At  last  came  the  inevitable  inquiry  as  to 
the  capacity  of  the  young  ladies  in  the  English  lan 
guage  : 

"  Why,  bless  us,  Mr.  Barnum,"  was  the  reply ;  "  we 
are  Scotch  governesses,  who  are  here  in  Paris  simply  to 
learn  French ! " 


A  STORY-CHAPTER  757 

0 

The  last  time  I  went  from  France  to  England,  arriv 
ing  late  at  night,  I  stopped  in  Dover,  at  the  hotel  near 
est  the  custom-house,  so  as  to  look  after  my  luggage 
next  day.  Einging  my  bell  early  in  the  morning,  for 
shaving-water,  half  asleep  I  called  out  to  the  serving- 
maid  for  "  I'eau  chaude" 

"  Please,  sir,"  was  the  reply,  "  I  do  not  speak 
French." 

"Nor  I,  either,"  said  I,  promptly;  "just  bring  me 
some  hot  water,  if  you  please." 

But  some  of  the  English  have  a  queer  way  of  speak 
ing  their  own  language,  and  the  cockney's  management 
of  what  he  would  call  the  "  haspirate  "  is  sufficiently 
familiar.  Crowding  into  Exeter  Hall,  London,  at  an 
entertainment,  one  evening,  I  heard  the  usher  just  before 
me  shouting  out  seats,  as  he  looked  at  the  checks,  in 
this  fashion : 

"Letter  Ha,  first  row;  letter  Hef,  sixth  row;  letter 
He,  fifth  row ;  letter  Hi,  ninth  row"  ;  and  so  on.  Seeing 
that  my  own  check  was  "  L,"  I  showed  it  to  him,  and 
quietly  inquired : 

"  Where  do  I  go  to.  usher  T' 

"  You  go  to  Hell,"  was  the  prompt  response ;  which 
was  not  intended  to  be  either  profane  or  impolite. 

But  I  must  bring  this  story-telling  chapter  —  an  epi 
sode  in  the  narrative  of  graver  events  in  my  autobiogra 
phy  —  to  a  close,  and  discourse  of  Sea-side  Park  and 
Waldemere. 


oofi&il  mcnft  hrjw  I  omi  1  3s  d 


O3 


CHAPTER    XLVI. 

Ob     I  J       (vk[01      Olfj      BUT/    ."."18     f0 
SEA-SIDE  PAKK. 

rj(fl    "'ffJtdf    i&IJC  J'    "  vlilffflf  Trf      I     ^ifP?   "  *rorfir'      T    •»•  -V 
UTTEKEST  IN  PUBLIC  IMPBOVEMENTS  —  OLD  PARK  PROJECTS  —  OPPOSITION  OF 

OLD  FOGIES  —  THE  SOUND  SHORE  AT  BRIDGEPORT  —  INACCESSIBLE  PROP 
ERTY  —  THE  EYE  OF  FAITH  —  TALKING  TO  THE  FARMERS  —  REACHING  THE 
PUBLIC  THROUGH  THE  PAPERS  —  HOW  THE  LAND  WAS  SECURED  FOR  A  GREAT 
PLEASURE-GROUND  —  GIFTS  TO  THE  PEOPLE  —  OPENING  OF  SEA-SIDE  PARK 
—  THE  MOST  BEAUTIFUL  GROUND  BETWEEN  NEW  YORK  AND  BOSTON  —  MAG 
NIFICENT  DRIVES  —  THE  ADVANTAGES  OF  THE  LOCATION  —  MUSIC  FOR  THE 
.  MILLION  —  BY  THE  SEA-SIDE  —  FUTURE  OF  THE  PARK  —  A  PERPETUAL 
BLESSING  TO  POSTERITY. 

f  9f!j  I>'ll?l       J  ^fUlIOVO  G1.TO  >ui  tOlliit  !j;r: 

FROM  the  time  when  I  first  settled  in  Bridgeport  and 
turned  my  attention  to  opening  and  beautifying  new 
avenues,  and  doing  whatever  lay  in  my  power  to  extend 
and  improve  that  charming  city,  I  was  exceedingly  anx 
ious  that  public  parks  should  be  established,  especially 
one  where  good  drive-ways,  and  an  opportunity  for  the 
display  of  the  many  fine  equipages  for  which  Bridge 
port  is  celebrated,  could  be  afforded.  Mr.  Noble  and  I 
began  the  movement  by  presenting  to  the  city  the  beau 
tiful  ground  in  East  Bridgeport  now  known  as  Wash 
ington  Park,  —  a  most  attractive  promenade  and  breath 
ing  place  and  a  continual  resort  for  citizens  on  both 
sides  of  the  river,  particularly  in  the  summer  evenings, 
when  one  of  the  city  bands  is  an  additional  attraction  to 
the  pleasant  spot.  Thus  our  new  city  was  far  in 
advance  of  Bridgeport  proper  in  providing  a  prime 
necessity  for  the  health  and  amusement  of  the  people. 

Our  park  projects  in  the  city  date  as  far  back  as  the 


f.*l 


SEA-SIDE  PARK.  759 

^h*/  .*.'*-' 

year  1850.  At  that  time,  by  an  arrangement  with  Dea 
con  David  Sherwood,  who  lived  in  Fairfield,  a  few  rods 
west  of  the  Bridgeport  line,  and  who  owned  land  adjoin 
ing  mine,  we  agreed  to  throw  open  a  large  plot  of 
ground  free  to  the  public,  provided  State  Street,  in 
Bridgeport,  was  continued  west  so  as  to  pass  through 
this  land.  But  a  few  "  old  fogies  "  through  whose  land 
the  street  would  pass,  thereby  improving  their  property 
thousands  of  dollars  in  value,  stupidly  opposed  the  pro 
ject  in  the  Fairfield  town-meeting,  and  the  measure  was 
defeated.  Seventeen  years  afterwards,  in  18G7,  after  a 
long  sleep,  these  same  old  fogies  managed  to  awake, 
as  did  the  citizens  of  Fairfield  generally,  and  then  State 
Street  was  extended  without  opposition  ;  but  property, 
to  some  extent,  had  changed  hands  and  had  largely 
increased  in  value,  so  that  the  chance  of  having  a  free 
park  in  that  locality  was  forever  lost,  and  the  town  was 
actually  obliged  to  pay  Deacon  Sherwood  for  the  privi 
lege  of  continuing  the  highway  through  his  land.  How 
many  similar  opportunities  for  benefiting  the  public  and 
posterity  in  all  coming  time  are  carelessly  thrown 
away  in  every  town,  through  the  mere  stupidity  of  mole- 
eyed  land-owners,  who  stand  as  stumbling-blocks  not 
only  in  the  way  of  public  improvements,  but  directly  in 
opposition  to  their  individual  interests,  and  thus  for 
scores  of  years  rob  the  community  of  the  pleasures  to 
be  derived  from  broad  avenues  lined  with  shade-trees 
and  from  open  and  free  public  grounds. 

Up  to  the  year  1865,  the  shore  of  Bridgeport  west  of 
the  public  wharves,  and  washed  by  the  waters  of  Long 
Island  Sound,  was  inaccessible  to  carriages,  or  even  to 
horsemen,  and  almost  impossible  for  pedestrianism.  The 
shore  edge  in  fact  was  strewn  with  rocks  and  boulders, 
85 


760  SEA-SIDE  PARK. 

which  made  it,  like  "  Jordan  "  in  the  song,  an  exceed- 
ingly  "  hard  road  to  travel."  A  narrow  lane  reaching 
down  to  the  shore  enabled  parties  to  drive  near  to  the 
water  for  the  purpose  of  clamming,  and  occasionally 
bathing  ;  but  it  was  all  claimed 'as  private  property  by 
the  land  proprietors,  whose  farms  extended  down  to  the 
water's  edge.  On  several  occasions  at  low  tide,  I 
endeavored  to  ride  along  the  shore  on  horseback  for  the 
purpose  of  examining  "  the  lay  of  the  land,"  in  the 
hope  of  finding  it  feasible  to  get  a  public  drive  along 
the  water's  edge.  On  one  occasion,  in  1863,  I  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  my  horse  around  from  the  foot  of 
Broad  Street  in  Bridgeport  to  a  lane  over  the  Fairfield 
line,  a  few  rods  west  of  "  Iranistan  Avenue,"  a  grand 
street  which  I  have  since  opened  at  my  own  expense, 
and  through  my  own  land.  From  the  observations  I 
made  that  day,  I  was  satisfied  that  a  most  lovely  park 
and  public  drive  might  be,  and  ought  to  be  opened  along 
the  whole  water-front  as  far  as  the  western  boundary  line 
of  Bridgeport,  and  even  extending  over  the  Fairfield 
line. 

Foreseeing  that  in  a  few  years  such  an  improvement 
would  be  too  late,  and  having  in  mind  the  failure  of  the 
attempt  in  1850  to  provide  a  park  for  the  people  of 
Bridgeport,  I  immediately  began  to  agitate  the  subject 
in  the  Bridgeport  papers,  and  also  in  daily  conversations 
with  such  of  my  fellow-citizens  as  I  thought  would  take 
an  earnest  and  immediate  interest  in  the  enterprise.  I 
urged  that  such  an  improvement  would  increase  the 
taxable  value  of  property  in  that  vicinity  many  thousands 
of  dollars,  and  thus  enrich  the  city  treasury  ;  that  it 
would  improve  the  value  of  real  estate  generally  in 
the  city ;  that  it  would  be  an  additional  attraction  to 


SEA-SIDE  PARK.  761 

strangers  who  came  to  spend  the  summer  with  us,  and 
to  those  who  might  be  induced  from  other  considerations 
to  make  the  city  their  permanent  residence  ;  that  the 
improvement  would  throw  into  market  some  of  the  most 
beautiful  building-sites  that  could  be  found  anywhere  in 
Connecticut ;  and  I  dwelt  upon  the  absurdity,  almost 
criminality,  that  a  beautiful  city  like  Bridgeport,  lying 
on  the  shore  of  a  broad  expanse  of  salt  water,  should 
so  cage  itself  in,  that  not  an  inhabitant  could  approach 
the  beach.  With  these  and  like  arguments  and  entrea 
ties  I  plied  the  people  day  in  and  day  out,  till  some  of 
them  began  to  be  familiarized  with  the  idea  that  a  pub 
lic  park  close  upon  the  shore  of  the  Sound  was  at  least 
a  possible  if  not  probable  thing. 

But  certain  "  conservatives,"  as  they  are  called,  said : 
"  Barnum  is  a  hair-brained  fellow,  who  thinks  he  can 
open  and  people  a  New- York  Broadway  through  a  Con 
necticut  wilderness  "  ;  and  the  "  old  fogies  "  added :  "  Yes, 
he  is  trying  to  start  another  chestnut- wood  fire  for  the 
city  to  blow  forever ;  but  the  city  or  town  of  Bridgeport 
will  not  pay  out  money  to  lay  out  or  to  purchase  public 
parks.  If  people  want  to  see  green  grass  and  trees, 
they  have  only  to  walk  or  drive  half  a  mile  either  way 
from  the  city  limits,  and  they  will  come  to  farms  where 
they  can  see  either  or  both  for  nothing  ;  and,  if  they  are 
anxious  to  see  salt  water,  and  to  get  a  breath  of  the 
Sound  breeze,  they  can  take  boats  at  the  wharves,  and 
sail  or  row  till  they  are  entirely  satisfied." 

Thus  talked  the  conservatives  and  the  "  old  fogies," 
who  unhappily,  even  if  they  are  in  a  minority,  are 
always  a  force  in  all  communities.  I  soon  saw  that  it 
was  of  no  use  to  expect  to  get  the  city  to  pay  for  a  park. 
The  next  thing  was  to  see  if  the  land  could  not  be  pro- 


762  SEA-SIDE  PARK. 

cured  free  of  charge,  or  at  a  nominal  cost,  provided  the 
city  would  improve  and  maintain  it  as  a  public  park.  I 
approached  the  farmers  who  owned  the  land  lying 
immediately  upon  the  shore,  and  tried  to  convince  them 
that,  if  they  would  give  the  city  free,  a  deep  slip  next  to 
the  water,  to  he  used  as  a  public  park,  it  would  increase 
in  value  the  rest  of  their  land  so  much  as  to  make  it  a 
profitable  operation  for  them.  But  it  was  like  beating 
against  the  wind.  They  were'not  so  stupid  as  to  think 
that  they  could  become  gainers  by  giving  away  their 
property.'  Such  trials  of  patience  as  I  underwent  in  a 
twelvemonth,  in  the  endeavor  to  carry  this  point,  few 
persons  who  have  not  undertaken  like  almost  hopeless 
labor  can  comprehend.  At  last  I  enlisted  the  attention 
of  Messrs.  Nathaniel  Wheeler,  James  Loomis,  Francis 
Ives,  Frederick  Wood,  and  a  few  more  gentlemen,  and 
persuaded  them  to  walk  with  me  over  the  ground,  which 
to  me  seemed  in  every  way  practicable  for  a  park.  These 
gentlemen,  who  were  men  of  taste  as  well  as  of  enterprise 
Hiid  public  spirit,  very  soon  coincided  in  my  ideas  as  'to 
l\\e  feasibility  of  the  plan  and  the  advantages  of  the 
site ;  and  some  of  them  went  with  me  to  talk  with  the 
land-owners,  adding  their  own  pleas  to  the  arguments  I 
had  already  advanced.  At  last,  after  much  pressing  and 
persuading,  we  got  the  terms  upon  which  the  proprietors 
would  give  a  portion  and  sell  another  portion  of  their 
land  which  fronted  on  the  water,  provided  the  land  thus 
disposed  of  should  forever  be  appropriated  to  the  pur 
poses  of  a  public  park.  But  unfortunately  a  part  of  the 
land  it  was  desirable  to  include  was  the  small  Mallett 
farm,  of  some  thirty  acres,  then  belonging  to  an  unsettled 
estate,  and  neither  the  administrator  nor  the  heirs  could 
or  would  give  away  a  rod  of  it.  But  the  whole  farm 


SEA-SIDE  PARK.  763 

was  for  sale,  —  and,  to  overcome  the  difficulty  in  the 
way  of  its  transfer  for  the  public  benefit,  I  bought  it  for 
about  $12,000,  and  then  presented  the  required  front  to 
the  park.  I  did  not  want  this  land  or  any  portion  of  it 
for  my  own  purposes  or  profit,  and  I  offered  a  thousand 
dollars  to  any  one  who  would  take  my  place  in  the 
transaction ;  but  no  one  accepted,  and  I  was  quite  will 
ing  to  contribute  so  much  of  the  land  as  was  needed  for 
so  noble  an  object.  Indeed,  besides  this,  I  gave  $1,400 
towards  purchasing  other  land  and  improving  the  park ; 
and,  after  months  of  persistent  and  personal  effort,  I 
succeeded  in  raising,  by  private  subscription,  the  sum 
necessary  to  secure  the  land  needed.  This  was  duly 
paid  for,  deeded  to  and  accepted  by  the  city,  and  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  naming  this  new  and  great  public 
improvement,  "  Sea-side  Park." 

Public  journals  are  generally  exponents  of  public 
opinion  ;  and  how  the  people  viewed  the  new  purchase, 
now  their  own  property,  may  be  judged  by  the  following 
extracts  from  the  leading  local  newspapers,  when  the 
land  for  the  new  enterprise  was  finally  secured : 

OUR  SEA-SIDE  PARK. 
[From  the  "Bridgeport  Standard"  August  21,  1805.] 

Bridgeport  has  taken  another  broad  stride  of  which  she  may  well  he  proud. 
This  Sen-side  Park  is  a  fixed  fact.  Yesterday  Messrs.  P.  T.  Barnum,  Captain 
John  Brooks,  Mr.  George  Bailey,  Captain  Burr  Knapp,  and  Henry  Wheeler 
generously  donated  to  this  city  sufficient  land  for  the  Park,  with  the  exception  of 
seven  or  eight  acres,  which  have  been  pTirchased  by  private  subscriptions.  Last 
night  the  Common  Council  appointed  excellent  Park  Commissioners,  and  work 
OH  the  sea-wall  and  the  avenues  surrounding  the  Park  will  be  commenced  a\ 
once.  Besides  securing  the  most  lovely  location  for  a  park  to  be  found  between 
New  York  and  Boston,  which  for  all  time  will  be  a  source  of  pride  to  our  city  and 
State,  there  is  no  estimating  the  pecuniary  advantage  which  this  great  improve 
ment  will  eventually  prove  to  our  citizens.  Plans  are  on  foot  and  enterprises  are 
agitated  in  regard  to  a  park  hotel,  sea-side  cottages,  horse  railroad  branch,  and 
other  features,  which,  when  consummated,  will  serve  to  amaze  our  citizens  to 
think  that  such  a  delightful  sea-side  frontage  has  been  permitted  to  lie  so  loii^ 
unimproved.  To  Mr.  P.  T.  Barnum,  we  believe,  is  awarded  the  credit  of  orjgi- 


764  SEA-SIDE  PARK. 

mting  this  beautiful  improvement,  and  certainly  to  his  untiring,  constant,  rmd 
persevering  personal  efforts  are  we  indebted  for  its  being  finally  consummated. 
Hon.  James  C.  Loomis  was  the  first  man  who  heartily  joined  with  Barnuin 
in  pressing  the  plan  of  a  sea-side  park  upon  the  attention  of  our  citizens,  but  it 
is  due  to  our  citizens  themselves  to  say  that,  with  an  extraordinary  unanimity, 
they  have  not  only  voted  to  appropriate  $10,000  from  the  city  treasury  to 
making  the  avenues  around  the  Park,  and  otherwise  improving  it,  but  they  have 
also  generously  aided  by  private  contributions  in  purchasing  such  land  as 
was  not  freely  given  for  the  Park.  Of  course,  we  shall  not  only,  at  an  early  day, 
publish  the  names  of  such  citizens  as  have  subscribed  money  for  this  purpose, 
but  they  will  also  be  handed  doAvn  to  posterity,  as  they  will  richly  deserve,  in  the 
publication  of  the  Park  Commissioners. 

[From  the  "Bridgeport  Standard"  August  21,  1865.] 

The  names  of  P.  T.  Barnum,  Capt.  John  Brooks,  Mr.  George  Bailey,  Capt. 
Burr  Knapp  and  Henry  Wheeler  have  gone  into  history  as  the  generous  con 
tributors  to  the  best  enterprise  ever  attempted  for  the  benefit  of  our  city;  and 
the  city  has  accepted  the  trust  with  the  most  commendable  promptness,  and 
"/ppointed  its  commissioners,  who  have  already  entered  upon  their  duties.  We 
shall  watch  now  with  eager  interest  the  unfolding  and  development  of  such  a 
park  as  can  nowhere  be  found  011  either  side  of  the  Sound,  and  one  which  shall  be 
"  a  thing  of  beauty  and  a  joy  forever"  to  our  city. 

It  needs  but  the  hand  of  skilful  art,  assisted  by  a  proper  public  spirit,  to  render 
the  Sea-side  Park  a  charmed  spot  of  delightful  resort  for  public  drives  or  private 
walks.  The  commissioners  chosen  to  superintend  the  inauguration  of  the  laying 
out  and  improvements  of  the  grounds  are  men  of  correct  taste,  of  good  judgment 
and  of  liberal  and  comprehensive  views  as  to  the  wants  and  demands  of  a  growing 
city  like  Bridgeport.  They  understand  that  Nature  is  here  to  be  made  so  attrac 
tive  by  Art,  that  all  classes  shall  be  draw^n  hither  not  merely  for  the  pleasure  of 
enjoying  a  favorite  resort  but  also  for  the  profit  which  comes  to  the  nobler  im 
pulses  of  our  nature,  by  the  contemplation  of  cunning  handicraft  upon  the  land 
scape,  as  God  left  it  for  man  to  adorn  and  beautify.  Here  will  be  planted  trees  of 
every  variety  that  will  endure  the  temperature  of  this  latitude,  and  flowers  of 
every  hue  and  perfume;  here  will  walks  serpentine  through  shady  groves,  and 
anon  lead  out  to  behold  the  broad  expanse  of  the  beautiful  Sound. 

Some  one  has  aptly  said,  that  one  work  of  art  was  worth  a  thousand  lectures 
on  art.  Here,  then,  let  the  statues  of  the  artist  be  placed,  to  educate  the  masses 
by  their  silent  teachings,  and  win  them  to  higher  ideas  and  better  views  of  life  by 
their  mute  eloquence.  One  feature  of  American  parks  is  especially  worthy  of 
mention  :  they  are  essentially  and  emphatically  democratic.  They  are  made  for 
the  people,  and  are  in  turn  appreciated  by  the  people.  They  are  open  alike  to 
the  millionnaire  with  his  coach-and-six,  and  the  poor  pedestrian  without  a  penny. 
The  advantages  possessed  by  Bridgeport  as  a  manufacturing  city  are  becoming 
daily  more  and  more  appreciated  by  business-men  from  various  portions  of  the 
country.  There  is  no  city  in  the  State  which  can  compare  with  ours  in  the  recent 
erection  of  large  and  permanent  manufacturing  establishments.  ,  This  fact  brings 
into  our  midst  a  large  industrial  population,  for  which,  even  now,  the  supply  of 
dwellings  is  inadequate  to  the  demand.  This  population,  commingling  and  com 
bining  with  our  own,  and  possessing  energy,  enterprise,  business  tact  and  intelli- 
fence,  will  rapidly  develop  the  resources  of  our  city  and  its  surroundings  fojr 
mechanical  pursuits,  and  the  productions  of  the  various  manufacturing  establish- 


SEA-SIDE  PARK.  765 

ments  already  erected,  or  in  process  of  erection.  To  such  a/  class,  the  benefits  of 
a  Park,  possessing  such  facilities  for  recreation  and  improvement  as  the  Sea-side 
Park  will  present,  will  he  incalculable,  in  fostering  the  health,  promoting  the  hap 
piness,  and  elevating  the  taste  of  all  who  can  avail  themselves  of  its  beneficial 
influences. 

To  the  public-spirited  gentlemen  who  have  so  generously  donated  to  the  city 
the  land  for  the  Sea-side  Park,  Bridgeport  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  Avhich.she  can 
never  repay.  Their  names  will  descend  to  posterity,  and  be  remembered  with 
pride  and  exultation  as  among  the  noblest  of  public  benefactors,  so  long  as  the 
flowers  bloom  and  the  waves  wash  the  margin  of  the  Sea-side  Park.  No  citi/en 
of  Bridgeport,  identified  with  her  growth  and  prosperity,  and  having  the  future 
welfare  of  the  city  at  heart,  should  fail  to  contribute,  in  such  a  manner  as  best  lie 
may,  to  such  a  grand  improvement.  Let  our  citizens  take  hold  of  this  noble  en 
terprise  with  that  large  and  liberal  spirit  in  which  it  has  been  conceived  and  thus 
far  consummated,  and  Bridgeport  will  ere  long  possess  an  attraction  which  will 
draw  hither  for  permanent  residence  much  of  the  wealth  and  intelligence,  refine 
ment  and  virtue  of  the  great  metropolis,  which  now  sequesters  itself  along  thft 
banks  of  the  Hudson,  or  among  the  sand-knolls  of  New  Jersey. 

Thus  was  my  long-cherished  plan  at  length  fulfilled  ; 
nor  did  my  efforts  end  here,  for  I  aided  and  advised  in 
all  important  matters  in  the  laying  out  and  progress  of 
the  new  park  ;  and  in  July,  1869,  I  gave  .to  the  city  sev 
eral  acres  of  land,  worth  at  the  lowest  valuation  $5,000, 
which  were  added  to  and  included  in  this  public  pleas 
ure-ground,  and  now  make  the  west  end  of  the  park. 

At  the  beginning,  the  park  on  paper  and  the  park  in 
reality  were  two  quite  different  things.  The  inaccessibility 
of  the  site  was  remedied  by  approaches  which  permitted 
the  hundreds  of  workmen  to  begin  to  grade  the  grounds, 
and  to  lay  out  the  walks  and  drives.  The  rocks  and 
boulders  over  which  I  had  more  than  once  attempted  to 
make  my  way  on  foot  and  on  horseback  were  devoted  to 
the  building  of  a  substantial  sea-wall,  under  the  able 
superintendence  of  Mr.  David  W.  Sherwood.  Paths 
were  opened,  shade-trees  were  planted ;  and  fortunately 
there  was  in  the  very  centre  of  the  ground  a  beautiful 
grove  of  full  growth,  which  is  one  of  the  most  attractive 
features  of  this  now  charming  spot ;  and  a  broad  anfl 
magnificent  drive  follows  the  curves  of  the  shore  ancV 


766  SEA-SIDE  PAKK. 

encircles  the  entire  park.  Although  work  is  constantly 
going  on  and  much  remains  to  be  done,  yet  a  consider 
able  portion  of  the  park  presents  a  finished  appearance  : 
a  large  covered  music-stand  has  been  built ;  and,  on  a 
rising  piece  of  the  ground,  a  substantial  foundation  has 
been  built  for  a  Soldiers'  Monument.  The  corner-stone 
«f  this  monument  was  laid  with  impressive  ceremonies 
and  a  military  display,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  con 
course  of  citizens  and  soldiers,  among  whom  were  Major- 
General  Alfred  II.  Terry,  U.  S.  A.  ;  Major-General  and 
Governor  Joseph  H.  Hawley;  Adjutant- General  Charles 
T.  Stanton ;  Quartermaster-General  Julius  S.  Gilman  ; 
Surgeon-General  Philo  G.  Rockwell ;  Paymaster-Gen 
eral  William  B.  Wooster ;  Aides-de-Camp  and  Colonel 
John  H.  Burnham,  Alford  P.  Rockwell,  William  H. 
Mallory,  Charles  M.  Coit,  General  S.  W.  Kellogg,  of 
the  First  Brigade ;  Colonel  S.  E.  Merwin,  jr.,  Colonel 
Crawford,  and  other  officers  of  the  Governor's  staff,  and 
of  the  Connecticut  State  Militia. 

The  branch  horse-railroad  already  reaches  one  of  the 
main  entrances,  and  brings  down  crowds  of  people  every 
day  and  evening,  and  especially  on  the  evenings  in  which 
the  band  plays.  At  such  times  the  avenues  are  not  only 
thronged  with  superb  equipages  and  crowds  of  people, 
but  the  whole  harbor  is  alive  with  row-boats,  sail-boats 
and  yachts.  The  views  on  all  sides  are  charming.  In 
the  rear  is  the  city,  with  its  roofs  and  spires ;  Black 
Rock  and  Stratford  lights  are  in  plain  sight;  to  the 
eastward  and  southward  stretches  "  Old  Long  Island's 
sea-girt  shore  " ;  and  between  lies  the  broad  expanse 
of  the  salt  water,  with  its  ever  "fresh"  breezes,  and 
the  perpetual  panorama  of  sails  and  steamers.  I  do 
not  believe  that  a  million  dollars  to-day  would  com- 


SEA-SIDE  PAKE.  767 

pensate  the  city  of  Bridgeport  for  the  loss  of  what  ia 
confessed  to  be  the  most  delightful  public  pleasure- 
ground  between  New  York  and  Boston. 

For  these  magnificent  results,  accomplished  in  so 
short  a  time,  the  people  of  Bridgeport  are  indebted  to 
the  park  commissioners,  and  especially  to  Mr.  Nathaniel 
Wheeler,  whose  untiring  energy  and  exquisite  taste 
have  been  mainly  instrumental  in  bringing  this  work 
forward  to  its  present  state  of  completion. 

There  is  easy  and  cheap  access  to  this  ground  by 
means  of  the  horse-railroad  from  East  Bridgeport  and 
Fairfield,  and  numerous  avenues  open  directly  upon  the 
park  from  Bridgeport.  It  is  the  daily  resort  of  thou 
sands,  who  go  to  inhale  the  salt  sea-air ;  and  the  main  drive 
is  already,  on  a  lesser  scale,  to  the  citizens  of  Bridge 
port,  what  the  grand  avenue  in  Central  Park  is  to  the 
people  of  New  York ;  with  this  priceless  advantage, 
however,  in  favor  of  Sea-side  Park,  of  a  frontage  on 
the  Sound,  and  a  shore  on  which  the  waves  are  ever 
breaking,  and  sounding  the  grand,  unending  story  of  the 
mysteries  of  the  great  deep. 

On  the  western  and  northern  margins  of  this  public 
ground,  in  sight  of  the  Sound  and  in  full  view  of  every 
part  of  the  park,  will  hereafter  be  built  the  villas  and 
mansions  of  the  wealthiest  citizens,  and,  when  the 
hand  that  now  pens  these  lines  is  stilled  forever,  and 
thousands  look  from  these  sea-side  residences  across  the 
water  to  Long-Island  shore,  and  over  the  groves  and 
lawns  and  walks  and  drives  of  the  beautiful  ground  at 
their  feet,  it  may  be  a  source  of  gratification  and  pride 
to  my  posterity  to  hear  the  expressions  of  gratitude 
that  possibly  will  be  expressed  to  the  memory  of  their 
ancestor  who  secured  to  all  future  generations  the  bene 
fits  and  blessings  of  Sea-side  Park. 

or,* 


- 


CHAPTER    XLVIL 

WALDEMERE. 

MY  PRIVATE  I-TFE  —  PLANS  FOR  THE  PUBLIC  BENEFIT  IN  BRIDGEPORT  —  OPEN 
ING  AVENUES  —  PLANTING  SHADE-TREES  —  OLD  FOGIES  —  CONSERVATISM  A 
CUKSE  TO  CITIES  —  BENEFITING  BARNUM's  PROPERTY  —  SALE  OF  LINDEN- 
CROFT —  LIVTXG  IN  A  FARM-HOUSE  —  BY  THE  SEA-SHORE  —  ANOTHER  NEW 
HOME  —  WALDEMKRK —  HOW  IT  CAME  TO  BE  BUILT  —  MAGIC  AND  MONEY  — 
WAVEWOOD  AND  THJ?  PETREL'S  NEST  —  MY  FARM  —  THE  HOLLAND  BLANKET 
CATTLE  —  MY  CITY  RESIDENCE  —  COMFORTS  OF  CITY  LIFE  —  BEGGING  LET 
TERS —  MY  FAMILY  —  RELIGiOUS  REFLECTIONS — MY  FIFTY-NINTH  BIRTHDAY 
—  THE  EXD  OF  THE  RECOltD. 

WHAT  I  can  call,  without  undue  display  of  egotism  or 
vanity,  my  "  public  life,"  may  be  said  to  have  closed  with 
my  formal  and  final  retirement  from  the  managerial  pro 
fession,  when  my  second  Museum  was  destroyed  by  fire, 
March  3,  1868.  But  he  must  have  been  a  careless 
reader  of  these  pages,  which  record  the  acts  and  aspira 
tions  of  a  long  and  industrious  career,  who  does  not  see 
that  what,  in  opposition  to  my  "  public  life,"  may  be 
considered  my  "  private  life,"  has  also  been  largely 
devoted  to  the  comfort,  convenience,  and  permanent 
prosperity  of  the  community  with  which  so  many  of  my 
hopes  and  happiest  days  are  thoroughly  indentified.  I 
speak  of  these  things,  I  trust,  with  becoming  modesty, 
and  yet  with  less  reluctance  than  I  should  do,  if  my  fel 
low-citizens  of  Bridgeport  had  not  generally  and  gener 
ously  awarded  me  sometimes,  perhaps,  more  than  my 
meed  of  praise  for  my  unremitting  and  earnest  efforts  to 


WALDEMEHE.  769 

promote  whatever  would  conduce   to  the  growth  and 
improvement  of  our  charming  city. 

When  I  first  selected  Bridgeport  as  a  permanent  resi 
dence  for  my  family,  its  nearness  to  New  York  and  the 
facilities  for  daily  transit  to  and  from  the  metropolis 
were  present  and  partial  considerations  only  in  the  gen 
eral  advantages  the  location  seemed  to  offer.  Nowhere, 
in  all  my  travels  in  America  and  abroad,  had  I  seen  a 
city  whose  very  position  presented  so  many  and  varied 
attractions.  Situated  on  Long  Island  Sound,  with  that 
vast  water-view  in  front,  and  on  every  other  side  a  beau 
tiful  and  fertile  country  with  every  variety  of  inland 
scenery,  and  charming  drives  which  led  through  valleys 
rich  with  well-cultivated  farms,  and  over  hills  thick- 
wooded  with  far-stretching  forests  of  primeval  growth, 
—  all  these  natural  attractions  appeared  to  me  only  so 
many  aids  to  the  advancement  the  beautiful  and  busy  city 
might  attain,  if  public-spirit,  enterprise,  and  money 
grasped  and  improved  the  opportunities  the  locality  itself 
extended.  I  saw  that  what  Nature  had  so  freely  lavished 
must  be  supplemented  by  yet  more  liberal  Art. 

Consequently,  and  quite  naturally,  when  I  projected 
and  established  my  first  residence  in  Bridgeport,  I  was 
exceedingly  desirous  that  all  the  surroundings  of  Iranis- 
tan  should  accord  with  the  beauty  and  completeness  of 
that  place.  I  was  never  a  victim  to  that  mania  which 
possesses  many  men  of  even  moderate  means  to  "own* 
everything  that  joins  them,"  and  I  knew  that  Iranistan 
would  so  increase  the  value  of  surrounding  property  that 
none  but  first-class  residences  would  be  possible  in  the 
vicinity.  But  there  was  other  work  to  do,  which,  while 
affording  advantageous  approaches  to  my  property, 
would  at  the  same  time  be  a  lasting  benefit  to  the  public ; 


770  WALDEMEEE. 

and  so  I  opened  Iranistan  Avenue,  and  other  bioad  and 
beautiful  streets,  through  land  which  I  freely  purchased 
and  as  freely  gave  to  the  public,  and  these  highways  are 
now  the  most  convenient  as  well  as  charming  in  the 
city. 

To  have  opened  all  these  new  avenues,  in  their 
entire  length,  at  my  own  cost,  and  through  my  own 
ground,  would  have  required  a  confirmation  of  Miss 
Lavinia  Warren's  opinion,  that  what  little  of  the  city 
of  Bridgeport  and  the  adjacent  town  of  Fairfield  was 
not  owned  by  General  Tom  Thumb,  belonged  to  P.  T. 
Barnum.  It  is  true  that,  apart  from  my  East  Bridge 
port  property,  I  became  a  very  large  owner  of  real  estate 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  in  Bridgeport  proper  and 
in  Fairfield,  my  purchases  in  Fairfield  lying  on  and  so 
near  to  the  boundary  line —  Division  Street  —  as  vir 
tually  to  be  in  Bridgeport.  Everywhere  through  my 
own  lands  I  laid  out  and  threw  open  to  the  public,streets 
of  the  generous  width  which  distinguished  the  old 
"  King's  roads  "  in  the  colonies,  before  grasping  farmers 
and  others  encroached  upon,  and  fenced  in  as  private 
property,  land  that  really  belonged  to  the  public  forever ; 
and  on  both  sides  of  every  avenue  I  laid  out  and  planted 
a  profusion  of  elms  and  other  trees.  In  this  way,  I  have 
opened  miles  of  new  streets,  and  have  planted  thousands 
of  shade-trees  in  Bridgeport ;  for  I  think  there  is  much 
wisdom  in  the  advice  of  the  Laird  of  Dumbiedikes,  in 
Scott's  "  Heart  of  Mid-Lothian,"  who  sensibly  says : 
"  When  ye  hae  nae thing  else  to  do,  ye  may  be  aye  stick 
ing  in  a  tree ;  it  will  be  growing  when  ye're  sleeping." 
But,  in  establishing  new  streets,  too  often,  when  I  liad 
gone  through  my  own  land,  the  project  came  literally  to 
an  end ;  some  "  old  fogy  "  blocked  the  way,  —  my  way, 


WALDEMEBE.  771 

his  own  way,  and  the  highway,  —  and  all  I  could  do 
would  be  to  jump  over  his  field,  and  continue  my  new 
street  through  land  I  might  own  on  the  other  side,  till 
I  reached  the  desired  terminus  in  the  end  or  continua 
tion  of  some  other  street ;  or  till,  unhappily,  I  came  to  a 
dead  stand-still  at  the  ground  of  some  other  "  old  fogy," 
who,  like  the  original  owners  of  what  is  now  the  shore- 
front  of  Sea-side  Park,  "  did  not  believe  there  was  money 
to  he  made  by  giving  away  their  property." 

And  this  is  the  manner  in  which  these  old  fogies 
talked:  "We  don't  believe  in  these  improvements  of 
Bnrnum's.  What's  the  use  of  them?  We  can  get  to 
the  city  by  the  old  road  or  street,  as  we  have  done  for 
forty  years.  The  new  street  will  cut  the  pasture  or 
mowing-lot  in  two,  and  make  a  checkerboard  of  the  farm. 
It  was  bad  enough  to  have  the  railroad  go  through,  and 
we  would  have  prevented  that  if  we  could  ;  but  this  new 
street  business  is  all  bosh ! "  And  then,  singularly 
enough,  every  old  fogy  would  wind  up  with  :  "  I  declare, 
I  believe  the  whole  thing  is  only  to  benefit  Barnum,  so 
that  he  can  sell  land,  which  he  bought  anywhere  from 
sixty  to  two  hundred  dollars  an  acre,  at  the  rate  of  five 
thousand  dollars  an  acre  in  building-lots,  as  he  is  actually 
doing  to-day." 

It  is  strange  indeed  that  these  men,  who  could  see 
the  benefit  to  "  Barnum's  property  "  by  opening  new 
streets  which  would  immediately  convert  cheap  farm  and 
pasture  land  into  choice  and  high-priced  building-lots, 
should  not  see  that  precisely  the  same  thing  would  pro 
portionately  increase  the  value  of  their  own  property. 
Conservatism  may  be  a  good  thing  in  the  state,  or  in  the 
church,  but  it  is  fatal  to  the  growth  of  cities  ;  and  the 
conservative  notions  of  old  fogies  make  them  indifferent 


772  WALDEMEEE. 

to  the  requirements  which  a  very  few  years  in  the  future 
will  compel,  and  blind  to  their  own  best  interests.  Such 
men  never  look  beyond  the  length  of  their  noses,  and 
consider  every  investment  a  dead  loss  unless  they  can 
get  the  sixpence  profit  into  their  pockets  before  they  go 
to  bed.  My  own  long  training  and  experience  as  a 
manager  impelled  me  to  carry  into  such  private  enter 
prises  as  the  purchase  of  real  estate  that  best  and  most 
essential  managerial  quality  of  instantly  deciding,  not  only 
whether  a  venture  was  worth  undertaking,  but  what,  all 
things  considered,  that  venture  would  result  in.  Almost 
any  man  can  see  how  a  thing  will  begin,  but  not  every 
man  is  gifted  with  the  foresight  to  see  how  it  will  end, 
or  how,  with  the  proper  effort,  it  may  be  made  to  end. 
In  East  Bridgeport,  where  we  had  no  "  conservatives  "  to 
contend  with,  we  were  only  a  few  years  in  turning 
almost  tenantless  farms  into  a  populous  and  prosperous 
city.  On  the  other  side  of  the  river,  while  the  opening 
of  new  avenues,  the  planting  of  shade-trees,  and  the 
building  of  many  houses,  have  afforded  me  the  highest 
pleasures  of  my  life,  I  confess  that  not  a  few  of  my 
greatest  annoyances  have  been  occasioned  by  the  oppo 
sition  of  those  who  seem  to  be  content  to  simply  vegetate 
through  their  existence,  and  who  looked  upon  me  as  a 
restless,  reckless  innovator,  because  I  was  trying  to 
remove  the  moss  from  everything  around  them,  and  even 
from  their  own  eyes. 

In  the  summer  of  1867,  the  health  of  my  wife  con 
tinuing  to  decline,  her  physician  directed  that  she 
should  remove  nearer  to  the  sea-shore ;  and,  as  she 
felt  that  the  care  of  a  large  establishment  like  Linden- 
croft  was  more  than  she  could  bear,  I  sold  that  place. 
I  have  already  spoken  of  my  building  of  this  residence.  It 


WALDEMERE.  773 

was  emphatically  a  labor  of  love.  All  that  taste  and 
money  could  do  was  fairly  lavished  upon  Lindencroft ; 
so  that,  when  all  was  finished,  it  was  not  only  a  com 
plete  house  in  all  respects,  but  it  was  a  perfect  home. 
And  a  home  I  meant  it  to  be,  in  every  and  the  best  sense 
of  the  word,  for  my  declining  years.  Consequently, 
from  basement  to  attic,  everything  was  constructed,  by 
days'  work,  in  the  most  perfect  manner  possible.  Con 
venience  and  comfort  were  first  consulted,  and  there 
after,  with  no  attempt  at  ostentation,  elegance,  pure  and 
simple,  predominated  and  permeated  everywhere.  No 
first-class  house  in  the  metropolis  was  more  replete  with 
all  that  goes  to  constitute  a  complete  dwelling-place. 
Under  this  new  roof  I  gathered  my  library,  my  pictures, 
my  souvenirs  of  travel  in  other  lands,  and  assembled 
my  household  "  gods  "  ;  while  the  surrounding  grounds, 
adorned  with  statuary  and  fountains,  displayed  also,  in 
the  walks,  the  arbors,  the  lawns,  the  garden,  the  piled- 
up  rocks  even,  the  profusion  of  trees  and  shrubbery,  and 
the  wealth  of  rare  and  beautiful  flowers,  my  wife's  exqui 
site  taste,  which  in  times  past  had  made  the  grounds  of 
our  loved  and  lost  Iranistan  so  celebrated  as  well  as 
charming.  It  was  hard  indeed  to  tear  ourselves  from 
this  fascinating  spot,  but  there  are  times  when  even  the 
charms  of  home  must  be  sacrificed  to  the  claims  of  health. 
Lindencroft  was  sold  July  1,  1867,  and  we  immedi 
ately  removed  for  a  summer's  sojourn  to  a  small  farm 
house  adjoining  Sea-side  Park.  During  the  hot  days  of 
the  next  three  months  we  found  the  delightful  sea- 
breeze  so  bracing  and  refreshing  that  the  season  passed 
like  a  happy  dream,  and  we  resolved  that  our  future 
summers  should  be  spent  on  the  very  shore  of  Long 
Island  Sound.  I  did  not,  however,  perfect  my  arrange- 


774  WALDEMERE. 

merits  in  time  to  prepare  my  own  summer  residence  for 
the  ensuing  season ;  and  during  the  hot  months  of  1868 
we  resided  in  a  new  and  very  pretty  house  I  had  just 
completed  on  State  Street,  in  Bridgeport,  and  which  I 
subsequently  sold,  as  I  intended  doing  when  I  built  it. 
But,  towards  the  end  of  the  summer,  I  added  by  pur 
chase  to  the  Mallett  farm,  adjoining  Sea-side  Park,  a 
large  and  beautiful  hickory  grove,  which  seemed  to  be  all 
that  was  needed  to  make  the  site  exactly  what  I  desired 
for  a  summer  residence.  It  will  be  remembered  that  I 
bought  this  Mallett  farm,  not  for  myself,  but  so  that  a 
portion  of  it  could  be  devoted  to  the  public  park  ;  and,  a 
generous  slice  having  been  thus  given  away,  there  were 
several  acres  remaining  which  were  admirably  adapted 
to  one  or  more  residences,  and  the  purchase  of  the 
grove  property  made  the  location  nearly  perfect. 

But  there  was  a  vast  cleal  to  do  in  grading  and 
preparing  the  ground,  in  opening  new  streets  and  ave 
nues  as  approaches  to  the  property,  and  in  setting  out 
trees  near  the  proposed  site  of  the  house ;  so  that 
ground  was  not  broken  for  the  foundation  till  October. 
I  planned  a  house  which  should  combine  the  greatest 
convenience  with  the  highest  comfort,  keeping  in  mind 
always  that  houses  are  made  to  live  in  as  well  as  to  look 
at,  and  to  be  "  homes  "  rather  than  mere  residences.  So 
the  house  was  made  to  include  abundant  room  for 
guests,  with  dressing-rooms  and  baths  to  every  chamber ; 
water  from  the  city  throughout  the  premises ;  gas,  manu 
factured  on  my  own  ground;  and  that  greatest  of  all 
comforts,  a  semi-detached  kitchen,  so  that  the  smell  as 
well  as  the  secrets  of  the  cuisine  might  be  confined  to 
its  own  locality.  The  stables  and  gardens  were  located 
far  from  the  mansion,  on  the  opposite  side  of  one  of  the 


WALDEMERE.  775 

newly  opened  avenues,  so  that  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  house,  on  either  side  and  before  both  fronts, 
stretched  large  lawns,  broken  only  by  the  grove,  single 
shade-trees,  rock- work,  walks,  flower-beds  and  drives. 
The  whole  scheme  as  planned  was  faithfully  carried  out 
in  less  than  eight  months.  The  first  foundation  stone  was 
laid  in  October,  1868 ;  and  we  moved  into  the  com 
pleted  house  in  June  following,  in  1869. 

It  required  a  regiment  of  faithful  laborers  and  me 
chanics,  and  a  very  considerable  expenditure  of  money, 
to  accomplish  so  much  in  so  short  a  space  of  time.  Those 
who  saw  a  comparatively  barren  waste  thus  suddenly 
converted  to  a  blooming  garden,  and,  by  the  successful 
transplanting  and  judicious  placing  of  very  large  and 
full-grown  forest  trees,  made  to  seem  like  a  long-settled 
place,  considered  the  creation  of  my  new  summer  home 
almost  a  work  of  magic ;  but  there  is  no  magic  when 
determination  and  dollars  combine  to  achieve  a  work. 
When  we  moved  into  this  new  residence,  we  formally 
christened  the  place  "  Waldemere," — literally,  but  not 
so  euphoniously,  "  Waldammeer,"  "  Woods-by-the-Sea," 
—  for  I  preferred  to  give  this  native  child  of  my  own 
conception  an  American  name  of  my  own  creation. 

On  the  same  estate,  and  fronting  the  new  avenue  I 
opened  between  my  own  property  and  the  public  park, 
I  built  at  the  same  time  two  beautiful  cottages,  one  of 
which  is  known  as  the  "  Petrel's  Nest,"  and  the  other, 
occupied  by  my  eldest  daughter,  Mrs.  Thompson,  and 
my  youngest  daughter,  Mrs.  Seeley,  as  a  summer  resi 
dence,  is  called  "  Wavewood."  From  the  east  front  of 
Waldemere,  across  the  sloping  lawn,  and  through  the 
reaches  of  the  grove,  these  cottages  are  in  sight,  and 
before  the  three  residences  stretches  the  broad  Sound, 


776  WALDEMEKE. 

with  nothing  to  cut  off  the  view,  and  nothing  interven 
ing  but  the  western  portion  of  Sea-side  Park.  Sea-side 
and  sea-breezes,  however,  do  not  include  the  sum  of 
rural  felicities  in  summer  ;  and  so  I  still  keep  possession 
of  the  fine  farm  which,  years  ago,  was  the  scene  of  the 
elephant-plowing  feats.  On  this  property,  which  is  in 
charge  of  a  judicious  farmer,  I  have  some  very  fine 
imported  stock,  including  several  head  of  the  celebrated 
white-blanket  "  Dutch  cattle,"  which  excite  the  curiosity 
and  attract  the  attention  of  all  who  see  them.  These 
cattle  are  black,  with  a  distinctly  defined  white  "blan 
ket"  around  their  bodies,  giving  them  a  very  unique 
appearance ;  and  wrhen  they  struck  my  fancy  in  Holland, 
some  years  ago,  I  imported  several  of  them :  nor  is  their 
singular  appearance  their  best  recommendation,  for  they 
are  excellent  milkers,  and  my  dairy  and  farm  products 
keep  my  table  constantly  supplied  with  fresh  fruits  and 
vegetables,  poultry,  and  that  choicest  of  country  luxu 
ries,  pure  cream. 

Amid  such  comforts,  advantages,  and  luxuries  the 
summer  months  speed  swiftly  and  sweetly  by.  My  well- 
supplied  stables  afford  the  means  of  enjoying  the  num 
berless  delightful  drives  which  abound  in  the  vicinity ; 
and  my  salt-water-loving  friend,  Mr.  George  A.  Wells, 
is  always  ready  to  minister  to  the  pleasure  of  myself  or 
my  guests  by  tendering  the  use  of  anything  in  his  Sound 
fleet,  from  a  row-boat  to  a  yacht.  The  five  months  in 
the  year  which  I  devote  to  rural  rest  seem  all  too  short 
for  the  enjoyment  which  is  necessarily  compressed  in 
the  twenty  weeks,  But  I  can  feel  at  the  end  of  the  sea 
son  that  it  is  a  consolidation  as  well  as  compression,  not 
only  of  pleasure,  but  of  capital,  in  the  way  of  health  and 
vigor  for  the  winter's  campaign  of  city  living  and  metro 
politan  excitement. 


WALDEMERE.  777 

For,  at  my  time  of  life,  and  especially  for  a  man  who 
has  had  so  much  to  do  with  the  metropolitan  million  as 
I  have  done,  I  am  convinced  that  the  city  is  the  most 
congenial  residence  during  the  cooler  season  of  the  year. 
No  matter  how  active  may  have  been  one's  life,  as  a 
man  grows  older,  if  he  does  not  become  a  little  lazy,  he 
at  least  learns  to  crave  for  comfortable  ease  and  seeks 
for  qiiiet.  To  such  a  man,  the  city  in  winter  extends 
numberless  pleasures.  There  is  a  sense  of  satisfaction 
even  in  the  well-cleared  sidewalks  after  a  snow-storm, 
and  all  almost  selfish  happiness  in.  looking  out  upon  a 
storm  from  a  well-warmed  library  or  parlor  window. 
One  loves  to  find  the  morning  papers,  fresh  from  the 
press,  lying  upon  the  breakfast-table ;  and  the  city  is 
the  centre  of  attractions  in  the  way  of  operas,  concerts, 
picture-galleries,  libraries,  the  best  music,  the  best 
preaching,  the  best  of  everything  in  agsthetical  enjoy 
ments.  Having  made  up  my  mind  to  spend  seven 
months  of  every  year  in  the  city,  in  the  summer  of  1867 
I  purchased  the  elegant  and  most  eligibly  situated  man 
sion,  No.  438  Fifth  Avenue,  corner  of  Thirty-ninth 
Street,  at- the  crowning  point  of  Murray  Hill,  in  New 
York,  and  moved  into  it  in  November.  My  residence 
therein  in  the  winter  season  lias  fully  confirmed  my 
impressions  in  its  favor.  The  house  is  replete  with  all 
that  can  constitute  a  pleasant  home,  and  the  location  is 
so  near  to  Central  Park  that  we  spend  hours  of  every 
fine  day  in  that  great  pleasure-ground.  While  I  am  in 
town,  it  is  scarcely  more  than  once  or  twice  a  week  that 
I  take  pains  to  ascertain  by  personal  observation  that  I 
am  living  on  the  edge  of  a  toiling,  excited  city  of  a  mil 
lion  inhabitants.  My  pecuniary  interests  in  Connecticut 
and  in  New  York  occupy  my  attention  sufficiently  to 


778  W  ALDEMERE. 

keep  me  from  ennui ,  and  an  extended  correspondence 
—  for  which  I  do  not  yet  feel  the  need  of  a  private  sec 
retary  —  employs  an  hour  or  more  of  every  day.  I 
have  had  letters  from  New  Zealand,  and  other  remote 
quarters  of  the  globe,  respecting  curiosities,  and 
addressed  simply  to  "  Mr.  Barnum,  America,"  and  the 
post-office  officials,  knowing  of  no  other  Barnum  who 
would  be  likely  to  receive  letters  from  such  out-of-the- 
way  places,  regularly  put  these  vaguely  addressed  letters 
in  my  New  York  box. 

Yet  I  suppose  that  not  less  than  two-thirds  of  all  the 
letters  I  receive  are  earnest  petitions  for  pecuniary  aid. 
This  begging-letter  business  began  to  persecute  me  as 
long  ago  as  the  time  of  the  Jenny  Lind  engagement,  and 
even  before.  Many  of  these  letters  ask  money  as  a  free 
gift,  and  some  of  them  demand  assistance  ;  while  others 
request  temporary  loans,  or  invite  me  to  furnish  the 
capital  for  enterprises  which  are  certain  to  bring  the 
inchest  returns  to  all  concerned  therein.  When  I  was 
travelling  with  Jenny  Lind,  I  received  a  letter  from  a 
woman  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  who  informed  me 
that  she  had  named  her  just-born  boy-and-ghi  twins 
"  P.  T.  Barnum"  and  "  Jenny  Lind,"  coolly  adding  that 
we  might  send  $5,000  for  their  immediate  wants,  and 
make  such  provision  for  their  future  education  and  sup 
port  as  might  be  determined  upon  at  the  proper  time  ! 
In  some  of  these  letters,  the  amusement  afforded  by  the 
orthography  and  grammar  was  almost  a  compensation 
for  the  annoyance  and  impudence  of  the  requests.  One 
very  bad  speller,  referring  me  to  a  former  employer  of 
the  letter- writer,  wrote  :  "  I  Can  rePhurr  you  too  Him  " ; 
another,  urging  his  petition,  declared  ;  "  god  Nose  I  am 
Poore  "  ;  and  not  long  ago  I  received  a  communication 


WALDEMERE.  779 

from  an  old  man  who  claimed  to  be  too  decrepid  to  eatn 
a  support,  but  he  urged  that  he  was  a  religious  man, 
and  added :  "  I  tak  grait  pleshur  in  Readin  my  bibel, 
speshily  the  Proffits " ;  and  it  did  look  a  little  as  if  he 
had  a  sharp  eye  to  the  "  Proffits." 

I  have  said  but  little  in  these  pages  of  the  immediate 
circle  which  is  nearest  and  dearest  to  me.  My  wife, 
with  whom  I  have  lived  so  many  happy  years,  and  who 
has  been  my  support  in  adversity  and  my  solace  in  pros 
perity,  still  survives.  Our  children  are  all  daughters : 
Caroline  C.,  the  eldest,  was  married  to  Mr.  David  W. 
Thompson,  October  19,  1852;  Helen  M.,  my  second 
daughter,  was  married  to  Mr.  Samuel  H.  Hurd,  October 
20,  1857;  Frances  J.,  the  third  daughter,  was  born 
May  1,  1842,  and  died  April  11,  1844;  and  Pauline  T., 
the  fourth  daughter,  was  married  on  her  birthday, 
March  1,  1866,  to  Mr.  Nathan  Seeley.  For  my  eldest 
daughter  I  built  and  furnished  a  beautiful  house  on 
ground  near  Iranistan,  and  she  moved  into  it  immediately 
after  her  marriage,  though  of  late  years  she  has  resided 
in  New-York  in  winter  and  in  Bridgeport  in  summer. 
For  Helen  and  Pauline,  I  bought  and  furnished  handsome 
houses  in  Lexington  Avenue,  in  New- York,  within  a 
short  distance  of  rny  own  city  residence  in  Fifth  Avenue. 
A  fine  young  rising  generation  of  my  grandchildren  is 
growing  up  around  them  and  me. 

I  have  written  as  little  as  might  be,  too,  about  my 
religious  principles  and  profession,  because  I  agree  with 
the  man  who,  in  answer  to  the  pressing  inquiry, 
declared  that  he  had  "  no  religion  to  speak  of";  and  I 
believe  with  him  that  true  religion  is  more  a  matter  of 
work  than  of  words.  When  I  am  in  the  city.  I  regularly 
attend  the  services  and  preaching  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  E.  H. 


780 

Chapin,  and  I  usually  go  to  the  meetings  of  the  same 
denomination  in  Bridgeport.  "  He  builds  too  low  who 
builds  beneath  the  skies  ";  and  I  can  truly  say  that  I  have 
always  felt  my  entire  dependence  upon  Him  who  is  the 
dispenser  of  all  adversity,  as  well  as  the  giver  of  all  good. 
With  a  natural  proclivity  to  look  upon  the  bright  side  of 
things,  I  am  sure  that  under  some  of  the  burdens  —  the 
Jerome  entanglement,  for  instance — which  have  borne  so 
heavily  upon  me,  I  should  have  been  tempted,  as  others 
have  been,  to  suicide,  if  I  had  supposed  that  my  troubles 
were  brought  upon  me  by  mere  blind  chance.  I  knew 
that  I  deserved  what  I  received ;  I  had  placed  too  much 
confidence  in  mere  money  and  my  own  personal  efforts ; 
I  was  too  much  concerned  in  material  prosperity  ;  and  I 
felt  that  the  blow  was  wisely  intended  for  my  ultimate 
benefit,  —  a  chastening,  which,  like  the  husks  to  the 
prodigal  son,  should  cause  me  to  "  come  to  myself," 
and  teach  me  the  lesson  that  there  is  something  infi 
nitely  better  than  money  or  position  or  worldly  pros 
perity  in  our  "  Father's  house." 

And  I  should  be  ungrateful  indeed,  if  on  my  birthday, 
this  fifth  of  July,  1869,  when  I  enter  upon  my  sixtieth 
year  in  full  health  and  vigor,  with  the  possibility  of 
many  happy  days  to  come,  I  did  not  reverently  recognize 
the  beneficent  Hand  that  has  crowned  me  with  so  many 
comforts,  and  surrounded  me  with  so  many  blessings. 
It  is  on  this  day,  in  my  own  beautiful  home  of  Walde- 
mere,  that  I  write  these  concluding  lines,  which  record 
a  long  and  busy  career,  with  the  sincere  hope  that  my 
experiences,  if  not  my  example,  will  benefit  my  fellow- 
men. 

(844th  page,  including  engravings.) 


APPENDIX. 

REST  ONLY  FOUND  IN  ACTION. 
A  NEW  EXPERIENCE— "DOING  NOTHING"  A  FAILURE— EXCITEMENT  DEMANDED— VISIT  o» 

ENGLISH  FRIENDS — I  SHOW  THEM  OUK  COUNTRY — NIAGARA  FALLS — WE  VISIT  CUBA — 
NEW  ORLEANS — MAMMOTH  CAVE — WASHINGTON — "  CASTLE  THUNDER" — TRIP  TO  CALI 
FORNIA — SALT  LAKE  CITY — I  OFFER  BRIGHAM  YOUNG  TWO  HUNDRED  THOUSAND  DOL 
LARS  TO  "SHOW"  HIM  "DOWN  EAST"— AM  "INTERVIEWED"  AT  SACRAMENTO  AND 

SAN  FRANCISCO— THE  CHINESE— SEA  LIONS— THE  GEYSERS— MARIPOSA— THE  BIG  TREES 
— INSPIRATION  POINT— YO  SEMITE  VALLEY — THE  REMARKABLE  TOWN  OF  QREELEY,  IN 
COLORADO — QUEBEC — SAGINAW  RIVER — SARATOGA — ALICE  CARY — WILD  BUFFALO  HUNT 
IN  KANSAS— MY  GREAT  TRAVELLING  SHOW— THE  WINTER  EXHIBITION  IN  NEW  YORK— 
THE  EMPIRE  RINK— SUCCESS  OF  THE  SHOW— OPINIONS  OF  THE  PRESS— CURIOSITIES 
FRO3I  CALIFORNIA — MY  IMITATORS— ATTEMPTS  TO  DECEIVE  AND  SWINDLE  THE  PUBLIC. 

EVERY  one  knows  the  story  of  the  Emperor  Charles  the  Fifth.  His 
ambition  gratified  to  satiety  in  the  conquest  of  kingdoms,  and  the  firm 
establishment  of  his  empire,  he  craved  rest.  He  abdicated  his  throne, 
"  retired  from  business,"  content  to  live  on  his  laurels  in  the  peaceful 
shades  of  the  Cloister  at  Yustee.  The  tradition  is  that  here  he  forgot  the 
world  without,  withdrew  in  thought  as  in  person  from  the  cares  and  tur 
moils  of  state,  and  found  rest  and  cheerfulness  by  alternating  his  devotions 
with  the  tinkering  of  clocks.  Perhaps  every  one  is  not  so  familiar  with 
the  somewhat  recent  correction  by  Mr.  Stirling  of  this  romantic  story.  In 
fact,  the  Emperor  was  never  so  restless  as  when  he  was  taking  rest ;  was 
never  so  full  of  the  perplexities  of  empire  as  when,  in  "  due  form,"  he  had 
shaken  them  off.  In  the  Cloister  he  was  the  same  man  that  he  was  in  the 
Camp  and  the  Court,  and  when  he  sought  to  repress  his  energies,  they 
simply  tormented  him. 

Not  denying  that  my  egotism  is  equal  to  a  good  deal,  I  must  beg  my 
readers  not  to  supposfe  that  I  assume  for  my  own  history  a  very  extended 
similarity  to  that  of  the  greatest  monarch  of  his  time.  In  fact,  the  points 
of  difference  are  quite  as  striking  as  those  of  resemblance.  It  is  true,  we 
both  tried  the  "  clock  business ;"  but  I  must  claim  that  my  tinkering  in  that 
way  throws  that  of  the  Emperor  entirely  in  the  shade.  I  was  not,  how 
ever,  fool  enough  to  go  into  a  cloister.  Let  not  an  illustration  any  more 
than  a  parable  "  run  on  all  fours."  But  I  want  a  royal  illustration ;  and 
the  history  of  Chnrles  the  Fifth,  in  the  particular  of  abdicating  for  rest,  I 
find  very  pertinent  to  my  own  experience.  I  took  a  formal,  and  as  I  then 

36  (845) 


846  REST    ONLY    FOUND    IN    ACTION. 

supposed,  a  last  adieu  of  my  readers  on  my  fifty-ninth  birth-day.  I  was,  as 
I  had  flattered  myself,  through  with  travel,  with  adventure,  and  with  busi 
ness,  save  so  far  as  the  care  of  my  competence  would  require  my  attention. 
My  book  closed  without  a  suspicion  that  in  any  subsequent  edition  "  more 
of  the  same  sort"  would  make  possible  an  ADDITIONAL  CHAPTER.  It  is 
with  a'  sense  of  surprise,  and  withal  a  feeling  akin  to  the  ludicrous,  that  in 
this  new  edition,  I  cannot  bring  my  career  up  to  my  sixty-second  year, 
without  filling  a  few  more  pages,  in  their  contents  not  unlike  in  kind  to 
those  which  make  the  bulk  of  my  book. 

As  stated  on  page  768,  my  final  retirement  from  the  managerial  profea 
aion  closed  with  the  destruction  of  my  Museum  by  fire,  March  '3,  1808 
But  when  I  wrote  that  sentence  I  had  not  learned  by  a  three  years'  cessa 
tion  of  business,  how  utterly  fruitless  it  is  to  attempt  to  chain  down  ener 
gies  w'hich  are  peculiar  to  my  nature.  No  man  not  similarly  situated  can 
imagine  the  ennui  which  seizes  such  a  nature  after  it  has  lain  dormant  for 
a  few  months.  Having  "nothing  to  do/'  I  thought  at  first  was  a  very 
pleasant,  as  it  was  to  me  an  entirely  new  sensation. 

"  I  would  like  to  call  on  you  in  the  summer,  if  you  have  any  leisure,  ic 
Bridgeport,"  said  an  old  friend. 

"  I  am  a  man  of  leisure  and  thankful  that  I  have  nothing  to  do ;  so  you 
cannot  call  amiss,"  I  replied  with  an  immense  degree  of  self-satisfaction. 

"  Where  is  your  office  down-town  when  you  live  in  New  York  ?  "  asked 
another  friend. 

"  I  have  no  office,"  I  proudly  replied.  •  "  I  have  done  work  enough,  and 
shall  play  the  rest  of  my  life.  I  don't  go  down-town  once  a  week ;  hut  I 
ride  in  the  Park  every  day,  and  am  at  home  much  of  my  time." 

I  am  afraid  that  I  chuckled  often,  when  I  saw  rich  merchan  ts  and  bank 
ers  driving  to  their  offices  on  a  stormy  morning,  while  I,  looking  compla 
cently  from  the  window  of  my  cozy  library,  said  to  myself,  "  Let  it  snow 
and  blow,  there's  nothing  to  call  me  out  to-day."  But.  Nature  icill  assert 
herself.  Heading  is  pleasant  as  a  pastime ;  writing  without  any  special 
purpose  soon  tires  ;  a  game  of  chess  will  answer  as  a  condiment;  lectures, 
concerts,  operas,  and  dinner  parties  are  well  enough  in  their  way  ;  but  to  a 
robust,  healthy  man  of  forty  years'  active  business  life,  something  else  is 
needed  to  satisfy.  Sometimes  like  the  truant  school-boy  I  found  all  my 
friends  engaged,  and  I  had  no  play-mate.  I  began  to  fill  my  house  with 
visitors,  and  yet  frequently  we  spent  evenings  quite  alone.  Without  really 
perceiving  what  the  matter  was,  time  hung  on  my  hands,  and  I  was  ready 
to  lecture  gratuitously  for  every  charitable  cause  that  I  could  benefit. 

Then  I,  who  had  travelled  so  many  years,  that  almost  all  cities  seemed  to 
me  as  the  same  old  brick  and  mortar,  began  now  to  think  I  would  like  to 
travel.  In  the  autumn  of  1809,  after  my  family  had  moved  for  the  winter 
from  Bridgeport  to  our  New  YorK  residence,  an  English  friend  came  with  his 
eldest  daughter  to  America  especially  to  visit  me.  This  friend  was  Mr.  John 
Fish,  and  he  is  an  old  friend  of  the  reader  also,  for  he  is  the  enterprising 
cotton-mill  proprietor,  of  Bury,  England,  fully  described  in  chapter  xxxii 


REST    ONLY    FOUND    IN    ACTION.  847 

of  this  book,  iu  which  he  is  mentioned  as  "  Mr.  Wilson."  When  I  was 
writing  that  chapter,  I  had  no  authority  to  append  his  real  name  to  the 
faithful  photograph  of  the  man ;  but  Mr.  Fish  gives  me  his  consent  to  use 
it  now.  I  need  not  say  how  pleased  I  was  to  see  my  friend,  and  how 
happy  I  was  to  show  a  representative  Englishman  whatever  was  worth 
seeing  in  the  metropolis  and  elsewhere  in  the  United  States. 

After  enjoying  the  Christmas  and  New  Year's  festivities  in  New  York ; 
taking  numerous  drives  in  our  beautiful  Central  Park,  including  several 
sleigh-rides,  which,  to  them,  were  rea^  novelties  ;  going  the  rounds  of  the 
metropolitan  amusements;  and  "doing"  the  city  in  general  and  in  detail, 
my  English  friends  wanted  to  see  more  of  the  "New  World,"  and  I  was 
just  in  the  humor  to  act  as  the  exhibitor.  In  fact,  I  now  resumed  my  old 
business  of  systematically  organizing  an  extensive  travelling  expedition, 
and,  almost  unconsciously,  became  a  showman  of  "natural  curiosities"  on 
a  most  magnificent  scale. 

We  first  went  to  Niagara  Falls,  going  by  the  Hudson  Hiver  and  Central 
Railroads  ;  and  returned  by  way  of  the  Erie.  I  saw  these  scenes  through 
the  eyes  of  my  English  friends,  and  took  a  special  pleasure  in  witnessing 
their  surprise  and  delight.  As  they  extolled  the  beautiful  Hudson,  that 
stream  looked  lovelier  than  ever ;  the  Catskill  Mountains  were  higher  to 
me  than  ever  before ;  for  the  same  reason  Albany,  Syracuse,  and  Roches 
ter  were  more  lively  than  usual ;  the  mammoth  International  Hotel  at 
Niagara  Falls  looked  capacious  enough  to  bag  the  entire  islands  of  Great 
Britain ;  and  the  immense  Cataract  seemed  large  enough  to  drown  all  the 
inhabitants  thereof.  The  Palace  cars  of  the  Erie  Railroad  astonished  my 
friends  and  gave  me  great  satisfaction.  The  contagion  of  their  enthusiasm 
opened  my  eyes  to  marvels  in  spectacles  which  I  had  long  dismissed  as 
commonplace. 

They  wanted  to  go  to  Cuba.  I  had  been  there  twice  ;  yet  I  readily  agreed 
to  accompany  them.  We  took  steamer  from  New  York  in  January,  1870. 
We  had  a  smooth,  pleasant  voyage,  and  did  not  even  know  when  we  passed 
Cape  Hatteras.  In  three  days  we  had  doffed  all  winter  clothing  and 
arrayed  ourselves  in  white  linen.  Three  weeks  were  most  truly  enjoyed 
among  the  novel  scenes  of  Havana  and  the  peculiar  attractions  of  Mantan- 
/,as, — including  a  visit  to  the  new  and  beautiful  Cave  a  few  miles  from  that 
city.  We  made  a  charming  visit  to  a  coffee  plantation  and  orange  orchard ; 
another  to  a  sugar  plantation,  where  my  English  friends,  as  well  as  myself, 
were  shocked  to  see  the  negro  slaves,  male  and  female,  boys  and  girls,  cut 
ting  and  carrying  the  sugar  cane  under  the  lash  of  the  mounted,  booted, 
and  spurred  Spanish  overseer. 

But  riding  in  our  charming  volantes  from  that  plantation  to  the  exceed 
ingly  beautiful  valley  of  the  Yumurri  caused  us  almost  to  forget  the  sad 
scene  we  had  witnessed.  Wre  all  agreed  as  we  stood  on  the  east  side  of 
this  almost  celestial  valley  and  witnessed  the  sun  dropping  behind  the 
hill,  on  whose  summit  the  royal  palms  were  holding  up  their  beautiful 
plumes,  that  the  valley  below,  interspersed  with  its  cottages  and  stream 


848  REST    ONLY   FOUND   IN   ACTION. 

lets,  and  its  rich  tropical  trees,  shrubs  and  flowers,  was  a  scene  of  sur 
passing  loveliness;  and  I  was  not  surprised  to  see  the  tears  of  joy  and 
gratitude  roll  down  the  cheeks  of  the  young  English  lady.  I  enjoyed 
the  scene  hugely;  but  as  one  evidence  that  this  pleasure  was  derived 
from  the  enjoyment  it  afforded  my  trans- Atlantic  friends,  I  will  say  that 
when  I  was  in  Cuba  with  Jenny  Lind  in  1851,  I  witnessed  the  same 
scene  without  emotion,  so  absorbed  was  I  in  business  at  that  time.  And 
this  is  a  fitting  opportunity  for  saying  that  in  order  to  enjoy  travelling,  and 
indeed  almost  anything  else,  it  is  of  the  very  first  importance  that  it  bu 
done  without  care  and  with  congenial  companions. 

We  feasted  upon  oranges,  pine  apples,  bananas,  and  other  tropical  fruits, 
and  enjoyed  the  warm,  mild  days.  The  enjoyment  was  no  doubt  enhanced 
or  at  least  better  appreciated,  by  our  reading  of  the  freezing  condition  of 
our  New  York  friends.  The  quaint  buildings,  and  the  novel  manners  and 
customs  of  a  nation  speaking  a  different  language  from  our  own,  of  course 
are  interesting  for  a  short  time. 

We  went  to  New  Orleans  by  steamer.  We  stopped  a  few  days  at  the  St. 
Charles  Hotel;  "did"  the  city;  and  then  took  passage  for  Memphis  on  a 
steamer  which  was  so  capacious  and  commodious  that  my  English  friends 
declared  that  people  at  "  home  "  would  scarce  believe  it  was  a  steamer.  A 
few  days  sail  up  the  broad  Mississippi  was  a  real  treat.  The  conversations 
which  my  English  friend  held  with  the  Southern  planters,  and  their  manu 
mitted  slaves,  caused  him  to  somewhat  change  his  opinions  in  regard  to 
the  merits  of  our  late  civil  war. 

From  Memphis  we  went  by  rail  to  the  Mammoth  Cave  of  Kentucky; 
thence  to  Louisville,  Cincinnati,  Pittsburgh,  Harrisburgh,  Baltimore  and 
Washington.  A  few  days'  sojourn  at  the  best  hotel  in  the  world,  "The 
Arlington,"  a  visit  to  all  the  attractions  in  and  around  our  national  Capital 
including  attendance  at  Mrs.  President  Grant's  levee  and  a  talk  with  the 
President,  and  with  numerous  Senators  and  Members  of  Congress,  termi 
nated  our  visit.  We  then  proceeded  to  Richmond;  for  my  friend  Fish  had 
a  great  desire  to  see  the  Confederate  Capital,  and  especially  Libby  Prison, 
and  "Castle  Thunder."  He  was  almost  indignant  when  he  discovered 
that  the  latter  institution  was  a  tobacco  warehouse,  instead  of  being  a 
great  castellated  fortress,  such  as  his  imagination  had  pictured  it.  From 
Richmond  we  visited  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia,  and  returned  to  New 
York. 

In  April  we  made  up  a  small,  congenial  party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
and  visited  California  ma  the  Union  and  Central  Pacific  Railroads.  And 
here  let  me  say  that  this  trip  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  I  ever 
made.  The  Pullman  Palace  Cars  are  so  convenient  and  comfortable  that 
ladies  and  gentlemen  can  make  the  trip  to  California,  a  distance  of  3,000 
miles,  with  no  more,  real  fatigue  than  they  will  experience  in  their  own 
drawing  rooms.  They  can  dress  in  dishabille,  read,  lounge,  write,  converse, 
play  a  social  game,  sleep,  or  do  what  they  choose,  whiles  great  portion  of 
the  route  affords  a  constant  succession  of  novel  and  delightful  scenes,  to  be 


REST    ONLY   FOUND   IN   ACTION.  849 

witnessed  nowhere  else  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  I  say  emphatically,  that 
for  every  person  who  can  afford  it,  the  trip  to  California  is  one  that 
ought  by  all  means  to  be  made.  Like  a  thing  of  beauty  it  will  prove  "  a 
joy  forever." 

When  our  party  arrived  at  San  Francisco,  they  all  agreed  in  saying  that 
if  they  were  compelled  to  return  home  the  next  day,  they  should  feel  that 
they  were  well  paid  for  their  journey.  In  view  of  the  strange  and  inter 
esting  scenes  we  witnessed  in  Salt  Lake  City, — a  place  in  many  re 
spects  unlike  any  other  in  the  world;  and  in  fresh  remembrance  of  the 
wild,  bold,  rocky  mountain  scenery,  the  vast  plains,  the  wild  antelope,  buf 
falo,  and  wolves,  the  mining  districts,  the  curious  snow  sheds,  and  many 
other  scenes  and  peculiar  things  brought  to  our  notice, — I  think  my  friends 
were  right  in  their  conclusions. 

We  took  our  journey  leisurely.  I  lectured  in  Council  Bluffs,  in  Omaha, 
and  in  Salt  Lake  City.  We  stopped  several  days  in  this  celebrated  Mormon 
city;  and  as  I  wished  without  prejudice  to  examine  into  the  habits,  cus 
toms,  and  opinions  of  the  Mormons,  we  put  up  at  the  Townsend  House — a 
ver}r  excellent  hotel  kept  by  Mr.  Townsend,  a  Now  England  Mormon  with 
three  or  more  wives.  One  of  the  principal  Mormons,  an  Alderman  and  an 
Apostle,  had  visited  me  in  New  York.  He  devoted  his  time  to  our  party 
for  several  successive  days;  and  through  his  courtesy  and  influence  we 
were  furnished  facilities  for  obtaining  information  that  not  one  stranger  in 
a  thousand  ever  enjoys.  We  not  only  visited  the  Tabernacle  and  all  the 
institutions,  civil  and  religious,  but  were  introduced  into  the  families  of 
several  of  the  dignitaries.  In  turn,  we  were  visited  at  our  hotel  by  all  the 
principal  church  officers.  Without  stopping  to  discuss  their  great  error — a 
plurality  of  wives, — I  must  say  that  all  of  our  party  agreed  that  the  Mor 
mons  of  Salt  Lake  City  were  an  industrious,  quiet,  seemingly  conscientious, 
peaceable,  God-fearing  people.  A  serious  defection  has  taken  place  in  their 
church.  The  portion  called  the  "Liberals"  have  renounced  polygamy  for 
the  future ;  and  this  example,  together  with  their  rejection  of  certain  theo 
logical  superstitions,  is  giving  them  great  influence  and  respect.  This 
branch  of 'the  Mormons  is  growing  rapidly;  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  their 
influence,  aided  by  the  great  influx  of  Gentiles  caused  by  the  Pacific  Kuil- 
road,  will  soon  serve  in  exterminating  the  plurality  wife  system — unless, 
unhappily,  fanatics  and  fools  give  this  system  renewed  strength  by  reck 
lessly  persecuting  its  devotees  to  martyrdom. 

I  lectured  in  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre — a  large  and  commodious  building 
belonging  to  the  Mormons.  A  dozen  or  so  of  Brigliain  Young's  wives,  and 
scores  of  his  children,  were  among  the  audience.  As  I  came  out  of  the 
theatre  one  of  the  Apostles  introduced  me  to  five  of  his  wives  in  succes 
sion  !  The  Mormon  wives  whom  I  visited  in  company  of  their  husbands, 
expressed  themselves  pleased  with  their  positions ;  but  I  confess  I  doubt 
tiieir  sincerity  on  this  point.  All  with  whom  our  party  conversed  (and 
some  of  our  ladies  talked  with  these  Mormon  wives  in  secret),  expressed 
their  solemn  conviction,  that  polygamy  was  the  only  true  domestic  system 


850  REST    ONLY    FOUND    IN    ACTION. 

sanctioned  by  the  Almighty,  although  they  confessed  they  wished  it  was 
right  for  a  man  to  have  but  one  wife. 

I  was  introduced  by  her  father  to  a  girl  of  seventeen,  named  Barn  urn. 
The  old  man  was  an  original  Mormon,  lie  had  moved  from  Illinois  with 
Brigham  Young  and  his  disciples,  when  they  were  driven  out  and  com 
pelled  to  make  that  wonderful  and  fearful  journey  over  the  plains.  The 
daughter  was  born  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  of  course  knew  nothing  of  any 
other  religion.  I  asked  her  laughingly  if  she  expected  to  have  tho  fifth 
part  of  a  man  for  her  husband? 
"  I  expect  I  shall.  I  believe  it  is  right,"  she  replied. 

My  apostolic  friend  took  me  to  Brigham  Young's  house  early  in  the 
morning.  Mr.  Young  had  gone  to  Ogden  to  accompany  some  Bishops 
whom  he  was  sending  abroad.  I  left  my  card  with  his  Secretary,  and  said 
I  would  call  at  four  o'clock.  But  before  noon  a  servant  from  President 
Young  brought  a  message  for  me  to  call  on  him  at  one  o'clock.  At  tho 
hour  designated  I  called  with  my  friends.  Brigham  Young  was  standing 
in  front  of  one  of  his  houses — the  "  Bee  Hive,"  in  which  was  his  reception 
room.  He  received  us  with  a  smile  and  invited  us  to  enter.  He  was  very 
sociable,  asked  us  many  questions,  and  promptly  ansAvered  ours.  Finally 
he  said  with  a  chuckle: 

"Barnum,  what  will  you  give  to  exhibit  me  in  New  York  and  the  East 
ern  cities?" 

"  Well,  Mr.  President,"  I  replied,  "  I'll  give  you  half  the  receipts,  which 
I  will  guarantee  shall  be  $200,000  per  year,  for  I  consider  you  the  best  show 
in  America." 

"  Why  did  you  not  secure  me  some  years  ago  when  I  was  .of  no  conse 
quence?"  he  continued. 

"  Because,  you  would  not  have  '  drawn'  at  that  time,"  I  answered. 
Brigham  smiled  and  said,  "  I  Would  like  right  well  to  spend  a  few  hours 
with  you,  if  you  could  come  when  I  am  disengaged."     I  thanked  him,  and 
told  him  I  guessed  I  should  enjoy  it;  but  visitors  were  crowding  into  his 
ieception  room,  and  we  withdrew. 

I  subsequently  met  him  in  the  street  driving  his  favorite  pair  of  mules 
attached  to  a  nice  carriage.  He  raised  his  hat  and  bowed,  which  saluta- 
tation  I,  of  course,  returned.  I  hope  that  Brigham's  declining  years  will 
prompt  him  to  receive  a  new  "  revelation,"  commanding  a  discontinuance 
of  the  wife  plurality  feature  of  the  Mormon  religion. 

Arriving  at  Sacramento,  where  the  train  stopped  for  half  an  hour,  I  was 
'interviewed"  for  the  first  time  in  my  life  by  a  newspaper  reporter.  On 
the  same  evening,  in  the  excellent  Cosmopolitan  Hotel,  in  San  Francisco,  I 
was  again  "interviewed"  by  the  chief  editor  of  a  morning  paper,  accom 
panied  by  his  reporter.  By  this  time  I  had  become  accustomed  to  this  busi 
ness,  and  when  the  gentlemen  informed  me  they  wanted  to  interview  me,  I 
asked  them  to  be  seated,  pulled  up  an  extra  chair,  on  which  to  rest  my 
feet,  and  said : 

"  Go  ahead,  gentlemen ;  I  am  ready." 


REST    ONLY    FOUND    IN    ACTION.  851 

Well,  they  did  "go  ahead,"  asking  me  every  conceivable  question,  on 
every  conceivable  subject.  I  felt  jolly  and  "  spread  myself."  The  conse 
quence  was,  three  columns  of  "Barnum  Interviewed"  appeared  next 
morning  with  a  "To  be  continued"  at  the  bottom;  and  the  succeeding 
morning  appeared  three  columns  more.  This  conspicuous  advertisement 
prepared  the  way  for  a  lecture  I  gave  in  Pratt's  large  hall,  which  was 
well  attended. 

It  took  us  a  week  to  "do"  San  Francisco,  with  its  suburbs,  including  Oak 
land,  Woodward's  celebrated  and  beautiful  Gardens,  and  "  Seal  Rock." 
When  I  saw  that  small  rocky  island  lying  only  ten  rods  off,  covered  with 
sea  lions  weighing  from  eight  hundred  to  two  thousand  pounds,  the 
"show  fever"  began  to  rise.  I  offered  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  have  ten  of 
the  large  sea  lions  delivered  to  me  alive  in  New  York,  so  that  I  could  fence 
in  a  bit  of  the  East  River  near  Jones'  Wood,  and  give  such  an  exhibition 
1,0  citizens  and  strangers  in  that  city.  I  little  thought  at  that  time  that  I 
•should  subsequently  expend  half  that  sum  in  procuring  these  marine  mon 
sters  and  transport  them  through  the  country  in  huge  water-tanks  as  a 
small  item  in  a  mammoth  travelling  show. 

The  Chinese  quarters, — where  were  their  shops,  restaurants  and  laun 
dries,  their  Joss  House,  and  the  Chinese  Theatre, — gave  us  a  new  sensation, 
and  were  quite  sufficient  to  quench  a  lingering  desire  I  had  long  felt 
to  visit  China  and  Japan.  The  Chinese  servants  and  laborers  are  diligent, 
peaceable,  clean,  and  require  no  watching.  When  I  remembered  how 
many  thousands  of  dollars  I  had  paid  to  "eye  servants"  for  not  doing  what 
I  had  hired  them  to  do,  I  did  not  feel  sorry  that  there  was  a  prospect  of  the 
the  "Celestials"  extending  their  travels  to  the  Eastern  States. 

While  I  was  in  San  Francisco,  a  German  named  Gabriel  Kahn  brought  to 
me  his  little  son — literally  a  little  one,  for  he  is  a  dwarf  more  diminutive 
in  stature  than  General  Tom  Thumb  was  when  I  first  found  him.  The 
parents  of  this  liiiputian  were  anxious  that  I  should  engage  and  exhibit 
him.  Several  showmen  had  made  them  very  liberal  offers,  but  they  had 
set  their  hearts  on  having  "Barnum"  bring  him  out  and  present  him  to  the 
public. 

Of  course  I  felt  the  compliment,  but  was  inclined  to  say"  no,"  as  Iliad  given 
up  the  exhibition  business  and  was  a  man  of  leisure.  But  the  marvelous 
manikin  was  such  a  handsome,  well-formed,  intelligent  little  fellow,  speaking 
fluently  both  English  and  German,  and  withal  was  so  pert  and  so  captivating, 
that  I  was  induced  to  engage  him  for  a  term  of  years  and  gave  him  the 
soubriquet  of  "  Admiral  Dot."  Indeed  he  was  but  a  "  dot " — or  as  the  New 
York  Evening  Post  put  it,  the  small  boy  of  the  "period" — at  any  rate,  in 
the  matter  of  growth,  at  a  very  early  age  he  came  to  a  "  full  stop  ;"  though 
further,  in  the  jnatter  of  punctuation,  he  compels  an  "exclamation"  on  the 
part  of  all  who  see  him,  and  occasions  numerous  "  interrogations." 

I  dressed  the  little  fellow  in  the  complete  uniform  of  an  Admiral,  and 
invited  the  editors  of  the  San  Francisco  journals  and  also  a  number  of 
ladies  and  gentlemen  to  the  parlors  of  the  Cosmopolitan  Hotel  to  visit  him. 


.852  REST    ONLY    FOUND    IN    ACTION. 

All  were  astonished  and  delighted.  The  newspapers  stated  as  "news"  the 
facts,  and  gave  interesting  details  with  regard  to  Barnum's  "  discovery "  of 
this  wonderful  curiosity  who  had  been  living  so  long  undiscovered  under 
their  very  noses.  It  was  the  old  story  of  Charles  Stratton,  (Tom  Thumb,) 
of  Bridgeport,  over  again,  with  a  new  liliputian  and  a  new  locality. 

Meanwhile,  I  told  the  parents  of  the  Admiral  that  personally  I  should 
not  exhibit  their  son  till  I  returned  to  New  York ;  but  advised  them  to 
give  the  San  Franciscans  the  opportunity  to  see  him  during  the  remaining 
few  weeks  of  my  stay  in  the  Golden  State.  My  friend  Woodward,  of 
Woodward's  Gardens,  engaged  the  Admiral  for  three  weeks,  duly  adver 
tising  the  curious  discovery  by  Baruuni  of  this  valuable  "nugget,"  further 
stating  that  as  he  would  depart  for  the  East  in  three  weeks  the  only  oppor 
tunity  for  the  San  Francisco  public  to  see  him  was  then  offered  at  the 
Gardens. 

Immediately  there  was  an  immense  furore — thousands  of  ladies  and 
children,  as  well  as  men,  daily  thronged  the  Gardens,  saw  the  little  wonder, 
and  purchased  his  carte  de  visit e.  During  the  short  period  he  remained 
thare,  little  "  Dot,"  as  dots  are  apt  to  do,  "  made  his  mark,"  pocketed  more 
than  a  thousand  dollars  for  himself,  besides  drawing  more  than  twice  that 
sum  for  Mr.  Woodward.  Moreover,  the  extended  and  enthusiastic  notices 
of  the  entire  San  Francisco  press  gave  the  Admiral  a  prestige  and  start 
which  would  favorably  introduce  him  wherever  he  might  show  himself 
throughout  the  United  States.  Thus  originated  the  public  exhibition  of 
one  of  the  handsomest,  most  accomplished,  and  most  diminutive  dwarfs  of 
whom  there  is  any  history,  and  the  fame  of  the  little  Admiral  already  is 
rapidly  spreading  all  over  the  world. 

Speaking  of  dwarfs,  it  may  be  mentioned  here,  that  notwithstanding  my 
announced  retirement  from  public  life  I  still  retained  business  connections 
with  my  old  friend,  the  well-known  General  Tom  Thumb.  In  1869,  I 
joined  that  celebrated  dwarf  in  a  fresh  enterprise  which  proposed  an  exhi 
bition  tour  of  him  and  a  party  of  twelve,  with  a  complete  outfit,  including 
a  pair  of  ponies  and  a  carriage,  entirely  around  the  world. 

This  party  was  made  up  of  General  Tom  Thumb  and  his  wife  (formerl  / 
Lavinia  Warren),  Commodore  Nutt  and  his  brother  Rodiiia,  Miss  Minnie 
Warren,  Mr.  Sylvester  Bleeker  and  his  wife,  and  Mr.  B.  S.  Kellogg,  besides 
an  advertising  agent  and  musicians.  Mr.  Bleeker  was  the  manager,  and 
Mr.  Kellogg  acted  as  treasurer.  In  the  Fall  of  18G9,  this  little  company 
went  by  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  to  San  Francisco,  stopping  on  the  way 
to  give  exhibitions  at  Omaha,  Denver,  Salt  Lake  City,  and  other  places  on 
the  route,  with  great  success.  In  San  Francisco  Pratt's  Hall,  which  the 
company  occupied,  was  crowded  day  and  evening  for  several  weeks.  Every 
one  went  to  see  them.  The  exhibition  was  profusely  hand-billed  and  posted 
in  Chinese  as  well  as  in  English,  and  crowds  of  Celestials  went  to  see  the 
smallest  specimens  of  "Mellicans"  known  in  that  region,  for  Admiral  Dot 
living  in  San  Francisco  had  not  then  been  "discovered"  by  Barnum. 


REST    ONLY    FOUND    IN   ACTION.  853 

After  a  prolonged  and  most  profitable  series  of  exhibitions  in  San  Fran 
cisco,  the  company  visited  several  leading  towns  in  California  and  then 
started  for  Australia.  On  the  way  they  stopped  at  the  Sandwich  Islands 
and  exhibited  in  Honolulu.  From  there  they  went  to  Japan,  exhibiting  in 
Yeddo,  Yokohama  and  other  principle  places,  and  afterwards  at  Canton  and 
elsewhere  in  China.  They  next  made  the  entire  tour  of  Australia,  drawing 
immense  houses  at  Sydney,  Melbourne,  and  in  other  towns,  but  they  did 
not  go  to  New  Zealand.  They  then  proceeded  to  the  East  Indies,  giving 
exhibitions  in  the  larger  towns  and  cities,  receiving  marked  attentions  from 
Rajahs  and  other  distinguished  personages.  Afterwards  they  went  by  the 
way  of  the  Suez  Canal  to  Egypt,  and  gave  their  entertainments  at  Cairo ; 
and  thence  to  Italy,  exhibiting  at  all  available  points,  and  arrived  in  Great 
Britain  in  the  summer  of  1871.  Notwithstanding  the  enormous  expenses 
attending  the  transportation  of  this  company  around  the  world,  it  was  one 
of  the  few  instances  of  profitably  "  swinging  round  the  circle."  -The  enter 
prise  was  a  pecuniary  success,  and,  of  course,  the  opportunity  for  sight 
seeing  enjoyed  by  the  little  General  and  his  party  was  fully  appreciated. 
They  travelled  to  see  as  well  as  to  be  seen.  Fortunately  they  all  preserved 
the  best  of  health  and  met  with/no  accident  during  the  extended  tour.  My 
name  did  not  publicly  appear  in  connection  Avith  this  enterprise — the  exhi 
bition  was  conducted  under  the  auspices  of  "  Thumb,"  but  I  had  a  large 
"  finger  in  the  pie."  Mr.  Sylvester  Bleeker,  the  manager,  wrote  me  from 
Dublin,  December  C,  1871,  a  letter  from  which  I  extract  the  following  : 

11  If  any  person  will  peiTorm«the  feat  of  travelling  with  such  a  company  48,94G  miles,  (29,900 
miles  by  sea,)  give  1,284  entertainments  in  40?  different  cities  and  towns,  in  all  climates  of 
l,lie  world,  without  losing  a  single  day,  or  missing  u  single  performance  through  illness  or 
accident,  let  him  show  his  vouchers  and  I  will  give  him  the  belt." 

While  I  am  about  it,  I  may  as  Avell  confess  my  connection,  $iib  rosa,  with 
another  little  speculation  during  my  three  years' "leisure."  I  hired  the 
well-known  Siamese  Twins,  the  giantess,  Anna  Swan,  and  a  Circassian  lady, 
and,  in  connection  with  Judge  Ingalls,  I  sent  them  to  Great  Britain  where, 
in  all  the  principal  places,  and  for  about  a  year,  their  levees  were  continu 
ally  crowded.  In  all  probability  the  great  success  attending  this  enterprise 
was  much  enhanced,  if  not  actually  caused  by  extensive  announcements  in 
advance,  that  the  main  purpose  of  Chang-Eng's  visit  to  Europe  was  to  con 
sult  the  most  eminent  medical  and  surgical  talent  with  regard  to  the  safety 
of  separating  the  twins. 

Eminent  surgeons  in  London  and  in  Edinburgh  examined  these  physio 
logical  phenomena  and  generally  coincided  in  the  declaration  that  their 
lives  would  be  jeopardized  and  probably  be  forfeited  if  surgery  should  sep 
arate  them.  Of  course,  the  "Reports"  of  these  examinations  were  dulv 
and  officially  made  in  all  the  leading  medical  and  surgical  journals,  as  well 
as  the  reports  of  lectures  delivered  by  surgeons  who  had  given  their  per 
sonal  attention  to  the  case  of  the  twins,  and  these  accounts  in  English  and 
American  journals  were  also  translated  and  were  widely  circulated  through 
out  Europe. 

36* 


834  BEST    ONLY    FOUND   IN    ACTION. 

As  "  tliis  establishment  did  not  advertise  in  tlie  New  York  Herald,"  I  way 
not  a  little  amused  to  see  several  columns  of  editorial  matter  in  that  sheet 
published  a  few  weeks  before  the  Siamese  Twins  sailed  for  Europe,  giving 
elaborate  scientific  reasons  why  no  attempt  to  separate  them  should  be 
made.  I  quite  coincided  with  my  quondam  friend  Bennett  in  his  conclu 
sions,  as  a  proof  of  which  I  may  state  that  I  purchased  and  mailed  marked 
copies  of  his  editorial  to  all  the  leading  newspapers  and  magazines  abroad, 
in  most  of  which  the  matter  was  republished,  thereby  affording  the  best  of 
advertising  and  greatly  increasing  the  receipts  of  the  Twin  treasury  for 
many  months. 

But  to  return  to  my  California  trip.  We  visited  "  the  Geysers,"  and  when 
we  witnessed  the  bold  mountain  scenery  through  which  we  passed  to  get 
there,  and  then  saw  and  heard  the  puffing,  steaming,  burning,  bubbling 
acres  of  hot  springs  emitting  liquids  of  a  dozen  different  minerals,  and  of 
as  many  different  colors,  we  said,  "  This  would  pay  for  coming  all  the 
way  from  New  York,  if  we  saw  nothing  else," — and  it  would. 

In  returning  from  the  Geysers  to  Calistoga  we  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
celebrated  stage  driver,  Foss.  He  had  been  "laying"  for  me  several  days, 
and  had  said  he  would  "give  Barnum  a  specimen  of  stage  driving  that 
would  astonish  him."  He  did  it!  Foss  is  by  far  the  greatest  stage  driver 
of  modern  times.  The  way  he  handles  the  reins  seems  marvellous ;  and 
although  he  dashes  his  six-horse  team,  under  full  gallop,  down  the  most 
precipitous  mountain  roads,  making  one's  hair  continually  to  stand  on  end, 
his  horses  are  as  docile  as  lambs,  and  they  know  every  tone  of  Foss'  voice 
and  obey  accordingly.  I  suppo.se  that  this  New  Hampshire  Jehu  is,  after 
all,  as  safe  a  driver  as  ever  held  the  ribbons. 

Calistoga  lies  chiefly  011  made  ground.  Dig  down  five  feet  and  you  find 
water  wherein  an  egg  will  boil  hard  in  five  minutes.  A  Japanese  tea  plan 
tation  is  started  here  with  prospects  of  success. 

We  devoted  a  fortnight  to  visiting  the  great  Yo  Semite  Valley.  We 
went  by  way  of  Mariposa  where  we  saw  the  Mariposa  grove  of  "  big  trees," 
whence  I  sent  to  New  York  a  piece  of  bark  thirty-one  inches  thick !  That 
bark  was  taken  from  a  tree  102  feet  in  circumference,  over  three  hundred 
feet  high,  and  according  to  its  annual  layers,  837  years  old.  The  Yo  Semite 
has  been  so  often  and  so  well  described  that  1  shall  not  attempt  a  new 
description.  Suffice  it  to  say  it  is  one  of  those  great  and  real  things  in 
nature  that  goes  in  reality  far  beyond  any  previous  conception.  From  the 
moment  I  got  a  bird's  eye  view  of  this  wonderful  valley  from  "Inspiration 
Point,"  until  a  week  afterwards,  when  we  mounted  our  horses  to  emerge 
from  it,  I  could  not  help  oft  repeating,  "Wonderful,  wonderful,  sublime, 
indescribable,  incomprehensible;  I  never  before  saw  anything  so  truly  and 
appallingly  grand-  it  pays  me  a  hundred  times  over  for  visiting  Cali 
fornia." 

On  returning  to  Stockton,  I  lectured  for  a  Methodist  church  pursuant  to 
agreement  made  to  that  effect  when  I  left  for  the  Yo  Semite  twelve  days 
before. 


REST    ONLY    FOUND    IN    ACTION.  855 

On  our  return  home  we  stopped  at  Cheyenne  and  took  the  Branch  Rail 
road  to  Denver,  Colorado,  afterwards  going  fifty  miles  by  stage  to  the 
mines  at  Georgetown,  Golden  City,  Central  City,  and  other  notable  places. 

Returning  from  Denver,  we  stopped  at  the  truly  wonderful  town  of 
Grecley,  where  when  we  left  home  in  April  not  ten  persons  resided,  but 
where  was  now  settled  the  "  Union  Colony."  This  company  then  numbered 
six  hundred.  Grcelcy  is  now  a  city,  two  years  old,  containing  thousands 
of  inhabitants  and  increasing  at  a  rate  totally  unexampled.  There  is  no 
community  of  interests  here  except  in  such  public  works  as  the  irrigating 
canals  and  the*  school-houses.  Each  inhabitant  owns  whatever  lands  and 
buildings  he  or  »he  pays  for;  and  real  estate  and  other  property  rises  in 
value  according  to  the  increase  in  the  number  of  inhabitants.  Here  are 
millions  of  acres  of  rich  valley  land,  which  needed  only  the  irrigation 
that  the  Cache  de  Poudre  River  is  giving  through  the  canals  of  the  Union 
Colony.  This  model  town  of  Greeley  will  ever  have  peace  and  prosperity 
within  its  borders;  for  no  title  can  inhere  to  any  land  or  building  where 
intoxicating  drinks  are  permitted  to  be  sold.  It  is  a  "  city  of  refuge  "  from 
the  curse  of  strong  drink;  and  to  it  for  generations  to  come  will  whole 
families  congregate  as  their  paradise  guarded  by  flaming  swords  of  sobriety 
and  order  where  they  can  live  rationally,  happily,  and  prosperously. 

From  Greeley  we  returned  to  New  York,  and  my  family  removed  to  our 
Summer  quarters  in  Bridgeport  the  last  of  June.  Here  we  were  visited  by 
numerous  noble  friends.  The  late  Alice  Cary  spent  several  weeks  with  us 
at  Waldemere,  and  although  her  health  was  feeble  she  enjoyed  the  cool 
breezes  as  well  as  the  fine  drives,  clam-bakes,  etc.,  for  which  Bridgeport  is 
specially  renowned.  Indeed,  my  own  house  was  the  last  which  this  good 
and  gifted  lady  ever  entered  except  her  own  in  New  York,  to  which  I 
accompanied  her  from  .Bridgeport.  Her  sister  Phoebe,  who  so  quickly  fol 
lowed  Alice  to  the  other  world,  was  also  my  guest  at  Waldemere. 

But  the  restless  spirit  of  an  energetic  man  of  leisure  prompted  me  again 
to  travel.  I  went  with  friends  to  Montreal,  Quebec,  the  Saginaw  River, 
and  the  regions  round  about.  Returning  by  way  of  Saratoga  Springs, 
my  English  friends  again  had  occasion  to  open  their  eyes  at  the  large 
Union  Hotel,  and  Congress  Hall,  where  fifteen  hundred  persons  dine  at  one 
time,  and  two  thousand  lodge  under  a  single  roof  without  crowding. 

"Well,  this  is  a  big  country,  and  you  Americans  do  everything  on  a  big 
scale,  that's  a  fact,"  was  the  expression  for  the  thousandth  time  of  my 
Anglo-Saxon  companions. 

In  September,  I  made  up  a  party  of  ten,  including  my  English  friend, 
and  we  started  for  Kansas  on  a  grand  buffalo  hunt.  General  Custar,  com 
mandant  at  Fort  Hayes,  was  apprized  in  advance  of  our  anticipated  visit, 
and  he  received  us  like  princes.  He  fitted  out  a  company  of  fifty  cavalry, 
furnishing  us  with  horses,  arms  and  ammunition.  We  were  taken  to  an 
immense  herd  of  buffaloes,  quietly  browsing  on  the  open  plain.  We 
charged  on  them,  and  during  an  exciting  chase  of  a  couple  of  hours,  we 


856  REST    ONLY   FOUND    IN   ACTION. 

slew  twenty  immense  bull  buffaloes.     We  might  have  killed  as  many  more 
had  we  not  considered  it  wanton  butchery. 

My  friend  George  A.  Wells,  of  Bridgeport,  who  is  a  great  hunter,  was  one 
of  the  party,  and  although  he  had  slain  two  buffaloes,  and  had  lost  himself 
on  the  prairie,  not  only  to  his  own  dismay,  but  to  the  great  terror  for  four 
mortal  hours  of  all  his  companions,  he  was  by  no  means  satisfied.  He 
wanted  to  camp  out  and  hunt  buffaloes  for  several  days  longer.  Another 
Bridgeport  huntsman,  Mr.  James  Wilson,  was  of  the  same  mind.  But 
when  the  question  was  put  to  vote,  my  English  friend,  John  Fish,  who  had 
made  himself  sore  by  hard  riding;  Mr.  Charles  B.  Hotchkiss,  a  Bridgeport 
bank  president,  who  was  quite  content  with  killing  one  buffalo ;  my  right 
bower,  David  W.  Sherwood,  who  with  a  single  shot  dropped  an  immense 
bull  (as  indeed  he  now  and  then  has  done  with  no  other  weapon  than  his 
tongue);  David  M.  Read,  a  Bridgeport  merchant;  another  Bridgeporter, 
Theodore  W.  Downs — each  credited  with  one  or  two  carcases  on  the  field; 
and  I  who  had  brought  down  two  and  had  half  killed  another  buffalo, — all 
voted  that  we  had  done  enough  and  were  in  favor  of  returning  home. 
Whereupon  Wells  indignantly  exclaimed: 

"  I  was  invited  out  here  for  a  hunt,  but  you  have  made  it  a  race." 

But  every  man  had  killed  his  buffalo,  some  had  killed  two,  and  we  were 
satisfied.  We  had  plenty  of  buffalo  and  antelope  meat,  and  on  the  whole 
our  ten  days'  sport  afforded  another  "sensation," — a  feeling  so  necessary 
to  one  in  my  state.  But  "sensations"  cannot  be  made  to  order  every  day. 
I  am,  therefore,  taught  by  an  experience  of  three  years'  "  retirement "  from 
business,  that  it  is  better  to  be  moderately  engaged  in  some  legitimate 
occupation  so  long  as  health  and  energy  permit.  If  a  man  is  regularly 
in  "harness,"  though  he  may  do  but  a  small  portion  of  the  drawing,  he 
will  at  least  so  far  occupy  his  mind  as  not  to  need  spasmodic  excitements. 

Hence,  although  my  worldly  possessions — trivial  indeed  in  comparison 
with  the  wealth  of  some  of  America's  millionaires — were  yet  as  ample  as 
T  cared  to  acquire,  nevertheless  from  the  very  necessity  of  my  active 
nature,  in  the  Autumn  of  1870  I  began  to  prepare  a  great  show  enterprise, 
requiring  five  hundred  men  and  horses  to  transport  and  conduct  it  through 
the  country.  Selecting  as  manager  of  this  gigantic  enterprise  Mr.  William 
C.  Coup,  whom  I  had  favorably  known  for  some  years  as  a  capital  showman 
and  a  man  of  good  judgment,  integrity,  and  excellent  executive  ability,  we 
Hpent  several  weeks  in  blocking  out  and  perfecting  our  course  of  action. 
As  one  project  after  another,  involving  the  outlay  of  thousands  upon  thou 
sands  of  dollars,  was  laid  before  Manager  Coup,  he  began  to  open  his  eyes 
pretty  widely,  and  before  we  had  been  three  weeks  in  consultation,  he 
exclaimed : 

"  Why,  Mr.  Barnum,  such  a  show  as  you  are  projecting  after  a  while 
would  ruin  the  richest  man  in  America,  for  the  expenses  would  double  the 
receipts  every  day  1" 

I  begged  Mr.  Coup  not  to  be  alarmed,  reminding  him  that  I  was  not 
wholly  inexperienced  in  the  show  business,  and  that,  in  any  event,  I  was  to 


REST   ONLY   FOUND   IN   ACTION.  857 

"  foot  the  bills."  It  is  true  that  the  enormous  expense  of  this  vast  scheme 
involved  a  greater  risk  than  any  showman  had  ever  before  dared  to  assume. 
My  main  object  in  setting  on  foot  this  great  travelling  exhibition  was  to 
open  a  safety  valve  for  my  pent  up  energies,  and  I  felt  far  more  anxious 
to  put  before  the  public  a  grand  and  triumphant  show  than  I  did  to  add  a 
penny  to  my  competence. 

When  my  plans  were  made  public,  the  proprietors  of  the  travelling 
shows  throughout  the  country,  with  scarcely  an  exception,  declared  that 
my  exhibition  necessarily  must  prove  a  failure,  for,  they  said,  "  No  trav 
elling  show  in  the  world  ever  took  in  one-half  so  much  money  per  day  as 
Barnum's  daily  expenses  will  be."  I  knew  that  this  was  nearly  true;  but 
in  reply  to  their  ill-omened  prognostications,  I  only  said :  "  Well,  but  you 
see,  no  show  that  has  travelled  ever  drew  out  one-half  of  the  people ;  I 
expect  to  attract  all  of  them."  I  confess  I  felt  that  my  reputation  for 
always  giving  my  patrons  more  than  their  money's  worth,  and  also  for 
scrupulously  excluding  from  my  exhibitions  everything  objectionable  to 
the  refined  and  moral,  would  inevitably  draw  out  large  numbers  of  people 
who  are  not  in*  the  habit  of  attending  ordinary  travelling  shows.  With 
these  views,  I  had  confidence  in  my  undertaking  from  the  start,  and  I 
expended  money  like  water  in  order  fully  to  carry  out  my  intentions  and 
desires. 

Previous  business  arrangements  prevented  my  opening,  at  the  first,  in 
New  York ;  but  I  did  the  next  best  thing  by  going  to  the  next  best  place 
for  the  benefit  and  convenience  of  my  numerous  New  York  friends  and 
patrons,  and  opened  in  Brooklyn  April  10,  1871.  At  the  outset  the  exhibi 
tion  was  truly  a  mammoth  one.  It  embraced  a  museum,  menagerie, 
caravan  and  hippodrome — all  first-class  and  unsurpassed  in  previous 
shows — and  Dan.  Costello's  celebrated  circus  was  added.  It  was  an  exhibi 
tion  absolutely  colossal,  exhaustive,  and  bewilderingly  various  as  the  most 
liberal  expenditure  and  years  of  experience  could  possibly  make  it.  My 
motto  through  life  has  been:  "Get  the  best,  regardless  of  expense."  My 
aim  was  to  combine  in  the  several  shows  more  startling  and  entirely  novel 
wonders  of  creation  than  were  ever  before  seen  in  one  collection  anywhere 
in  the  world,  and  to  furnish  my  patrons  with  wholesome  instruction  and 
innocent  amusement,  without  the  taint  of  anything  that  should  seem 
immoral  or  exceptionable.  In  all  this  I  fully  succeeded,  and  I  declare 
with  pride  that  this  grand  combination  has  proved  to  be  the  crowning  suc 
cess  of  my  managerial  life. 

My  canvas  covered  about  three  acres  of  ground,  and  would  hold  nearly 
ten  thousand  people,  yet  from  the  start  in  Brooklyn,  and  throughout  the 
entire  Summer  tour,  it  was  of  daily  occurrence  that  from  one  thousand  to 
three  thousand  people  were  turned  away.  After  an  extraordinarily  suc 
cessful  week  in  Brooklyn,  I  visited  all  the  leading  places  in  the  immediate 
vicinity;  then  the  principal  towns  in  Connecticut;  next  through  Rhode 
Island  to  Boston.  How  the  great  combination  was  received  and  appreciated 


858  REST    ONLY    FOUND    IN    ACTION. 

in  "the  Athens  of  America"  is  well  set  lorth  in  the  following  extracts 
from  a  two-column  article  in  the  Boston  Journal: 

The  arrival  in  Boston  last  Monday  of  Barmim's  new  enterprise,  comprising  a  museum, 
menagerie,  caravan  and  hippodrome,  to  which  is  gratuitously  added  Dan.  C'ostello's  mam 
moth  circus,  lias  produced  a  sensation  in  this  city  never  before  equalled  by  any  amusement 
enterprise  known  to  New  England.  We  have  had  our  anniversaries,  reviews,  parades,  the 
Odd  Fellows,  and  to-day  shall  have  Fisk's  famous  "Ninth.1"  But  after  all,  nothing  scents 
to  equal  or  eclipse  the  great  Barnum  and  his  immense  amusement  enterprise,  which  is  the 
theme  of  universal  comment  and  observation  here,  as  elsewhere.  ''Have  you  seen  Bar- 
num  V"  is  the  question  that  is  heard  in  the  streets,  counting  houses,  stores  and  shops,  the 
public  being  as  anxious  to  see  the  veteran  Show  King  as  they  are  to  visit  his  big  show.  We 
confess  that  Barnnm  is  a  curiosity,  and  always  has  been  for  the  last  thirty  years,  during 
which  time  he  has  figured  prominently  before  the  American  people,  until  the' fame  of  him  is 
us  familiar  to  both  worlds  as  household  words.  Verily,  who  has  not  heard  of  1'.  T.  Barnum 
and  the  famous  American  Museum  'i  \Va  don't  mean  that  as  a  specimen  of  the  cjemis  hf>m<) 
I'.arnum  is  very  different  from  other  specimens  who  have  gained  notoriety  and  success  ;  but 
Kiuiply  as  an  embodiment  of  the  very  best  representative  type  of  a  shrewd,  enterprising, 
wide  awake  American,  who  has  achieved  an  immense  success  in  his  specialty  as  the  greatest 
amusement  caterer  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Through  two  disastrous  conflagrations  his 
immense  museum  collection  in  New  York,  however,  the  accumulations  of  half  a  century, 
were  in  a  single  day  almost  entirely  swept  out  of  existence.  This  was  a  serious  loss  to  the 
public,  as  it  was  to  Mr.  Barnum,  although  he  is  said  to  have  taken  it  as  coolly  and  imper- 
t  nrbably  as  the  apple  woman  round  the  corner  would  the  loss  of  a  Koxbury  russet.  Already 
advancing  in  years,  and  thinking,  no  doubt,  he  had  served  the  public  long  enough,  Mr.  Bar 
mini  concluded,  after  the  loss  of  his  museum,  to  retire  permanently  froni  the  show  business, 
and,  taking  Horace  Greeley's  advice,  go  a  fishing  or  seek  the  shades  of  a  more  qniet  and 
private  life  for  the  balance  of  his  days.  A  man,  however,  like  P.  T.  Barnum,  who  has 
spent  a  whole  life  amid  scenes  of  bustle  and  excitement,  with  a  constant  tension  of  muscle 
and  brain,  catering  for  the  ever  recurring  demands  of  a  curious  public,  naturally  fond  of 
amusements,  especially  the  marvellous  and  sensational,  is  rarely  satisfied  to  withdraw  sud 
denly,  like  the  tortoise,  within  his  own  shell,  and  let  the  outside  world  "wag"  without 
taking  an  active  interest  in  passing  events.  Thus  Mr.  Barnum'.s  retirement,  although  sur 
rounded  by  every  luxury  that  money  could  furnish,  became  the  veriest  prison  to  every 
element,  nervous,  physical  and  intellectual,  of  his  being,  and  it  is  no  wonder,  under  these 
circumstances,  that  he  became  absolutely  ''  restive  under  rest.11  His  ambition,  like  ancient 
"  Utica,"  lie  felt  to  be  too  much  "pent  up."  ami  as  "volcanoes  bellow  ere  they  disem- 
b-.)gne,"  so  "smoke-  betrays  the  wild  consuming  fire.11  Like  Dan.  Costello's  famous 
gymnasts  his  vaulting  ambition  has  fairly  o'erleapt  itself,  for  by  a  single  bound  he  comes 
before  the  public  in  a  new  role,  having  on  his  hands  an  "elephant"  more  ponderous  and 
expensive  to  manage  than  the  famous  quadruped  that  used  to  be  seen  "plowing1"  on  his 
Bridgeport  farm,  not  for  agricultural  purposes  exactly,  but  as  a  "rocket  thrown  up  to 
attract  public  attention  to  my  Broadway  American  Museum.11  About  a  year  ago  Mr.  Bar 
num,  desirous  to  do  good  in  his  day  and  generation,  instituted  and  put  on  wheels  his  present 
mammoth  enterprise,  at  a  cost  of  nearly  three-quarters  of  a  million  dollars,  which  has  met 
wUh  a  success  unparalleled  in  the  annals  of  the  show  business.  This  success  is  so  sudden 
and  complete  as  to  astonish  everybody,  and  none  more  so  than  professionals  themselves. 
Knowing  the  interest  the  public  feels  in  all  that  pertains  to  P.  T.  Barnum,  and  especially 
his  "  last  great  effort,11  (Barnum  himself  calls  it  his  last  great  "splurge,11  which  we  readily 
grant  in  deference  to  his  known  modesty,)  we  sent  one  of  our  reporters  to  interview  the 
whole  affair,  and  as  his  injunctions  -were  imperative  to  "stick  to  facts11  (flat  juxtit.ia  ruat 
<•<>, ://///»,  our  renders  will  be  able  to  judge  of  the  big  show  as  it  appeared.  Ono  thing  is  very 
evident.  Since  starting  from  New  York,  Barmim's  show  has  been  patronized  by  the  largest 
concourse  of  people  ever  known  in  New  England.  His  transit  across  the  country  has  been 
•  like  "  Sherman's  March  to  the  Sea,11  while  his  entertainments  have  been  visited  by  the  great 
masses,  including  eminent  clergymen  and  their  families,  and  the  most  respectable  of  all  per 
suasions— in  fact,  by  everybody,  "without  reference  to  race,  color,  or  previous  condition,11 
etc.  Barnum's  great  procession,  which  made  its  first  appearance  in  the  streets  last  Monday, 
is  one  of  the  grandest  and  most  magnificent  pageants  of  the  kind  that  ever  appeared  in 
Boston.  The  great  cortege  is  varied  and  almost  interminable  in  length.  The  cages,  char 
iots,  carriages  and  vans — no  two  being  painted  or  finished  alike—are  of  unique  workmanship, 
elaborate  design  and  gorgeously  painted  and  gilded.  The  mottoes  inscribed  on  the  cages 
a  iv  peculiarly' curt  and  Barnumish.  The  massively  carved  chariot,  called  the  Temple  of 
Juno,  which,  in  construction,  is  somewhat  telescopic,  that  is,  lets  up  and  down  to  the  extent 
of  thirty  feet  or  more,  by  means  of  machinery,  is  of  solid  carved  work,  gilt  all  over  with 
the  precious  metals  and  studded  profusely  with  plated  mirrors,  which  give  to  the  tableau  a 
truly  gorgeous  and  magnificent  effect.  Upon  an  elevated  seat,  just  beneath  a  rich  and 
unique  oriental  canopy  of  the  most  elaborate  finish,  sits,  in  perfect  nonchalance,  the  repre 
sentative  Queen,  surrounded  by  gods  and  goddesses  in  mythological  costume,  giving  a 
striking  picture  of  an  oriental  pageant,  as  seen  in  the  days  of  the  lloman  Emperors.  This 
gorgeous  car,  built  in  London  expressly  for  Barnum,  is  forty  feet  high,  and  is  rendered 
picturesque  in  effect  by  the  team  of  elephants,  camels  and  dromedaries  which  lead  or  escort 
the  van.  The  entire  procession  is  the  longest  and  most  varied  ever  witnessed  here,  and 
consisted  of  about  seventy  cages,  wagons  and  chariots,  and  250  horses.  But  let  us  follow 


REST    ONLY   FOUND    IN    ACTION.  859 

this  grand  street  demonstration  to  the  groimds  selected  for  the  great  exposition,  for  we  are 
a  little  anxious  to  know  what  becomes  of  so  many  horses,  wagons,  housings,  traps  and 
paraphernalia  in  general.  The  lot  on  \vhich  the  three  colossal  tents  are  pitched  presents  a 
really  novel  and  interesting  sight.  From  two  to  three  acres  of  land  are  required  for  all  the 
purposes  of  exhibition,  hotel  caravansary,  ecurie,  horse  tents,  etc.  Immediately  after 
returning  from  the  pageant  the  cages  containing  the  living  wild  animals,  and  all  the  museum 
curiosities,  are  driven  under  the  spacious  tents  and  arranged  in  regular  order,  those  con 
taining  the  animals  being  arranged  in  the  caravan  and  menagerie,  Avhile  the  others  art) 
classified  in  the  museum\lepartment.  The  horses  are  detached  from  the  cages,  dens  and 
chariots  by  experienced  grooms  and  immediately  removed  to  eight  long  rows  of  horse  tents, 
which  are  located  in  a  separate  lot,  containing  about  thirty  horses  each,  these  being  princi 
pally  draft  and  baggage  horses,  as  the  ring  stock  is  conveyed  to  hotel  and  livery  stables.  Of 
the  245  people  connected  with  this  varied  show,  two-thirds  were  employed  in  getting  their 
breakfast.  The  establishment  is  equipped  with  portable  stoves  and  accomplished  cooks. 
The  meals  are  served  in  large  tents,  and  in  this  way  all  the  attaches  but  the  artists  are  fed. 
Everything  connected  with  the  enterprise  is  first  class — a  fact  which  strikes  one.  turn  which 
way  he  will.  Not  only  is  everything  done  for  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  the  people 
engaged  with  it.  but  the  same  thoughtfulness  is  manifested  in  behalf  of  the  horses,  Avhether 
used  for  draught  purposes,  or  as  accessories  to  the  arenic  performances.  The  tents  in  winch 
the 'horses  are  kept  are  large,  .and  ample  room  is  assigned  each  animal.  In  fact  they  are 
complete  stables  with  patent  mangers  and  all  the  modern  stable  appointments.  The  best, 
rye  straw  is  used  for  bedding,  and^never  Avere  horses  better  provided  with  the  little  notions 
which  certainly  contribute  to  their  comfort,  and  which  are  probably  in  exact  accordance 
Avith  a  hfc-se's  idea  of  good  living.  A  veterinary  surgeon  is  regularly  employed,  and  the, 
health  of  the  horses  is,  Ave  have  reason  to  believe,  much  closer  looked  after  than  the  health 
of  many  people  is  by  their  family  physician.  The  wagons  used  for  the  conveyance  of  bag 
gage  when  the  company  is  moving  are  converted  into  sleeping  rooms  at  night,  by  letting 
clovvti  shelves,  which,  when  equipped  with  bedding  and  blankets  form  very  comfortable 
berths.  Each  wagon  accommodates  twelve  persons.  Another  feature  worthy  of  notice  is 
the  manner  in  which  the  baggage  is  carried.  If  each  person  carried  a  "  Saratoga,"  of  course 
it  would  require  some  fifty  wagons  to  carry  the  trunks.  To  obviate  this  difficulty,  the 
clothing  and  other  personal  effects  of  the  employees  are  kept  in  one  large  wagon.  The 
possessions  of  each  one  are  numbered.  This  wagon  is  in  charge  of  a  clerk,  who  has 
reduced  his  business  to  a  science,  and  with  the  same  skill  that  a  photographer  picks  out 
your  old  "  negative  "  from  among  a  thousand  others,  when  you  order  an  additional  dozen 
cartes  de  visile,  this  gentleman  can  produce  the  article  called  for  at  a  moment's  notice. 
Having  satisfied  ourselves  that  Barnum's  numerous  employees  know  how  to  groom  their 
stock,  as  well  as  IIOAV  to  "keep  a  hotel,"  we  Avill  now  take  our  readers  with  us  to  the  great 
show,  the  doors  of  which  are  by  this  time  opened  (of  course  they  must  buy  their  OSM: 
tickets,  for  the  management  are  not  in  the  habit  of  "papering"  their  house  rather  than 
play  to  empty  benches),  and  AVO  shall  see  whether  Phineas  has  kept  faith  with  the  public, 
for  Ave  have  a  glimmering  recollection  that  he  promised  not  long  ago  to  make  this  last  great 
effort  the  "crowning  success  of  his  managerial  life,"  which  AVC  are 'of  course  bound  1o 
believe,  although  we  have  also  a  sort  of  inquisitive  penchant  to  "look  for  the  proofs.'' 
Already  the  masses  of  curious  sight-seers  are  occupying  every  foot  of  available  ground,  the 
three  ticket  Avagons  being  literally  besieged,  from  Which  the  necessary  cards  oi'  admission 
are  being  rapidly  distributed  at  fiity  cents  per  head  for  adults,  children  half  price,  and  very 
soon  the  three  colossal  tents  are  lull  to  overtloAving  with  anxious  spectators.  The  first 
impression  that  oue  receives  on  entering  is  that  of  bewilderment,  such  is  the  magnitude, 
extent,  variety  and  uniqueness  of  the  combination.  Here  in  almost  endless  variety  Ave  see 
gathered  together  from  all  parts  of  the  earth  a  miniature  representation  of  the  wonder 
world,  that  nobody  but  Barnum  would  ever  have  thought  of  securing  for  a  travelling 
exhibition. 

Then  follows  in  the  same  article  a  detailed  account  of  the  leading  attrac 
tions,  which  want  of  space  precludes  rne  from  copying.  The  notice 
concludes  as  follows: 

With  all  these  unique  and  bewildering  attractions  our  faith  has  been  wonderfully  increased, 
and  AVC  shall  no  longer  doubt  why  it  is  that  P.  T.  Barnum  is  the  happiest  and  most  suc 
cessful  show  proprietor  that  ever  came  before  the  American  public,  and  no  man  more  than 
he  deserves,  as  lie  is  constantly  receiving,  their  unstinted  and  unprecedented  patronage. 
The  great  show  is  IIOAV  on  its  triumphant  tour  through  Northern  Ntnv  England,  and  AVill  no 
doubt  be  visited  by  myriads  everyAVhere,  as  it  has  been  here  and  elscAvhere. 

From  Boston  my  exhibition  Avent  through  New  Hampshire  and  into 
Maine  as  far  as  Waterville.  Why  the  show  did  not  go  to  towns  beyond  in 
the  State  is  fully  and  amusingly  explained  in  the  following,  which  appeared 
in  the  New  York  Tribune,  August  19,  1871 : 


860  REST   ONLY   FOUND   IN   ACTION. 

BARNUM'S  MENAGERIE  AND  CIRCUS. 

One  of  the  greatest  successes  ever  achieved  in  the  annals  of  the  sawdust  ring  has  been 
accomplished  the  present  season  by  P.  T.  Barman's  Museum,  Menagerie  and  Circus.  From 
the  inception  of  the  enterprise  success  has  crowned  its  efforts.  Mr.  Barnum's  name  in 
itself  has  been  a  tower  of  strength,  and  to  his  direction  and  general  control  its  success  is 
due.  There  are  few  men  that  Lave  the  courage  to  invest  nearly  $500,000  in  so  precarious  u 
business,  and  to  run  it  at  a  daily  expense  of  nearly  $2,500.  But  Mr.  Barnum  had  faith  that 
the  public  would  respond  liberally  to  his  appeal.  One  great  secret  of  his  success  lias  been 
ever  to  give  the  public  a  great  deal  for  their  money,  and  to  fix  the  prices  of  admission  at 
popular  rates.  But  we  doubt  if  he  expected  so  great  a  success  as  has  recently,  in  the  State 
of  Maine,  been  showered  upon  him.  It  is  worthy  of  being  recorded  as  equal  to  Jenny 
Land's  triumphal  American  tour.  It  had  originally  been  the  intention  to  make  a  tour  with 
the  great  show  as  far  east  as  Bangor,  Me.,  and  it  was  so  announced,  but  subsequently  they 
found  that  there  were  many  bridges  over  which  it  was  impossible  for  the  large  chariots 
to  pass,  and  that  the  show  would  be  obliged  to  make  stands  at  several  small  towns  en  route; 
which  could  not  possibly  pay  the  running  expenses  even  if  every  inhabitant  attended,  conse 
quently  it  was  decided  that  Lewiston,  Me.,  should  be  the  terminus  of  their  eastern  tour. 
The  following  letter,  dated  Winthrop,  Me.,  July  30,  from  a  correspondent,  will  best  convey 
the  idea  of  the  great  interest  and  enthusiasm  there  manifested  by  the  people : 

"  The  business  in  Maine  has  been  immense,  contrary  to  the  predictions  of  showmen  gener 
ally.  Since  entering  the  State,  except  at  Brunswick,  where  it  rained  hard  all  day,  they  have 
been  compelled  to  show  three  times  daily  to  accommodate  the  vast  crowds  that  tlocked 
from  every  direction.  While  exhibiting  at  Gardiner  and  Augusta  persons  came  all  the  way 
from  Bangor.  When  they  reached  Waterville,  a  scene  occurred  which  has  never  been 
equaled  in  this  or  any  other  country.  The  village  was  crowded  with  people  who  had  come 
from  the  surrounding  country,  many  of  them  travelling  a  distance  of  seventy-five  miles,  and 
all  the  morning  crowds  were  pouring  in  from  all  points  of  the  compass  in  carriages,  wagons, 
ox-carts,  and  on  foot.  Near  the  circus  tents,  in  an  adjoining  field,  were  several  large  tents 
pitched,  which  had  served  to  shelter  the  people  the  previous  night  who  had  come  long  dis 
tances  and  encamped  there.  The  authorities  of  the  village  had  taken  the  precaution  to  stop 
the  sale  of  all  spiritous  liquors  during  that  day,  and  had  caused  barrels  of  water  and  plenty 
of  ice  to  be  placed  at  the  street  corners,  for  the  free  use  of  all.  Carts  were  provided  at  the 
expense  of  the  village  to  constantly  replenish  the  barrels.  The  early  morning  performance 
was  commenced  and  it  was  found  that  they  could  not  accommodate  a  tithe  part  of  their 
patrons,  and  ere  its  close  an  excursion  train  of  twenty-seven  cars,  crowded  in  every  part, 
came  in  from  Bangor,  closely  followed  by  another  of  seventeen  cars  from  Belfast.  Seeing 
this  vast  accession  to  the  already  large  numbers  of  visitors,  the  manager  was  somewhat 
puzzled  how  to  accommodate  them.  Finally,  it  was  decided  to  give  a  continuous  exhibi 
tion,  giving  an  act  in  the  circus  department  every  few  moments.  This  style  of  performance 
was  kept  up  without  cessation  until  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  when  a  heavy  shower  of 
rain  falling,  afforded  the  manager  an  excuse  to  close  the  exhibitions.  The  men  and  horses 
were  completely  exhausted,  and  their  next  drive  being  forty-eight  miles  to  Lewiston,  where 
they  were  to  exhibit  three  times,  they  shipped  all  the  ring  horses  by  railroad,  to  give  them 
an  opportunity  for  much  needed  rest.  On  driving  out  of  Augusta,  on  July  29,  they  narrowly 
escaped  an  accident  similar  to  the  one  which  happened  in  New  Jersey.  One  of  the  pas 
senger  wagons,  with  twelve  passengers  and  having  four  horses  attached,  had  driven  down  a 
steep  hill,  when  suddenly  they  came  upon  a  locomotive  crossing  the  road  immediately  in 
front  of  them.  The  driver,  with  great  presence  of  mind,  suddenly  pulled  the  hwrses  to  riio 
right,  making  an  abrupt  turn,  which  overturned  the  wagon,  breaking  the  arm  of  Mr.  Sum- 
mertiold,  one  of  the  business  men,  bruising  several  others,  and  injuring  somewhat  severely 
Josephe,  the  French  giant,  who  was  compelled  to  remain  behind  the  show  for  a  couple  ol 
days." 

From  Maine  we  went  across  Vermont,  exhibiting  in  the  more  important 
places,  to  Albany  and  Troy.  At  Albany  it  was  impossible  to  secure  a  suit 
able  locality  for  the  exhibition  short  of  a  distance  of  two  miles  from  the 
city;  yet  here  distance  seemed  literally  to  "lend  enchantment  to  the  view," 
for  every  exhibition  was  thronged,  and  here  as  every  where,  thousands  were 
turned  away  who  were  unable  to  .find  room. 

Our  route  from  Albany  was  along  the  line  of  the  New  York  Central 
Railroad  to  Buffalo,  and  back  Jay  the  Erie  Railway  to  the  Hudson  River, 
exhibiting  nearly  everywhere,  and  after  exhibitions  at  Catskill,  Pough- 
keepsie  and  Nowburg,  returning  to  New  York.  Our  tour  through  the 
country  was  more  than  a  carnival — it  was  a  perfect  ovation ;  and  best  of  all, 
the  public  and  the  press,  with  one  accord,  pronounced  the  exhibition  even 
better  and  greater  than  I  had  advertised 


REST    ONLY   FOUND   IN   ACTION.  86 i 

At  the  close  of  the  travelling  season  I  desired  to  exhibit  my  great  show 
to,  my  New  York  patrons,  and  to  return  again  to  the  metropolis  where,  in 
'<*iys  gone  by,  the  children,  the  parents,  and  the  grandparents  of  the  pres 
ent  generation  have  flocked  in  millions  to  my  museum.  Accordingly  I 
secured  the  Empire  Rink  immediately  after  the  close  of  the  American 
Institute  Fair,  and  opened  in  that  building  November  13,  1871.  At  least 
ten  thousand  people  were  present,  and  in  response  to  an  enthusiastic  wel 
coming  call,  I  made  a  few  remarks,  the  report  of  which  I  copy  from  the 
next  morning's  New  York  World : 

"  A  popular  Eastern  poet  has  said  the  noblest  art  a  human  being  can  acquire  is  the  power 
of  giving  happiness  to  others.  I  sincerely  hope  this  is  true,  for  my  highest  ambition  during 
the  last  thirty  years  has  been  to  make  the  public  happy.  When  I  introduced  the  Swedish 
nightingale,  Jenny  Lind,  to  the  American  public  in  1851,  a  thrill  of  pleasure  was  felt  through 
out  the  land  by  our  most  refined  and  intellectual. citizens,  as  well  as  by  every  lover  of 
melody  in  the  humblest  walks  of  life.  As  a  museum  proprietor  for  nearly  thirty  years  I 
catered  successfully  to  the  pleasures  of  many  millions  of  persons.  Nor  have  my  eflbrts 
been  confined  to  this  continent.  As  a  public  exhibitor  I  have  appeared  before  kings,  queens 
and  emperors  in  the  Old  World,  and  have  given  gratification  to  many  millions  of  their 
devoted  subjects.  Fifty  years  ago  some  moralists  taught  that  it  was  wicked  to  laugh,  but 
all  divines  of  the  present  day  have  abandoned  that  untenable  and  austere  position,  and  now 
almost  universally  agree  that  laughter  is  not  only  conducive  to  health,  but  very  proper  and 
to  be  encouraged,  for,  as  the  bard  of  Avon  justly  says:  'With  mirth  and  laughter  let  old 
wrinkles  coir«e.'  In  fuct,  Mr.  Beecher  permits  laughing  in  his  church,  holding  that  it  is  as 
right  to  laugh  as  to  cry.  It  has  been  said  that  I  have  caused  more  people  to  laugh  than  any 
other  man  on  this  continent.  Ten  years  ago  one  of  our  first  families  in  Fifth  avenue  were 
conversing  regarding  the  duties,  responsibilities,  and  trials  of  this  life.  Their  little  daugh 
ter  of  seven  was  present.  The  lather  remarked  that  it  was  a  pretty  hard  world  to  live  in — 
full  of  struggles,  labors,  toils  and  disappointments.  The  mother  added  that  there  was  much 
poverty  and  suffering  in  the  world,  etc.,  but  the  little  girl  chirped  in,  '  WTell,  I  think  it  is  a 
beautiful  and  pleasant  world.  I  have  my  dear  mamma  and  papa,  and  my  good  grandma 
there,  besides  I  have  Barnum's  Museum  to  go  to,  and  surely  I  don't  want  a  happier  world 
than  this.'  My  great  object  has  been  to  elevate  the  standard  of  amusements,  to  render 
them  instructive  as  well  as  amusing,  to  divest  them  of  all  vulgar  and  immoral  tendencies, 
and  to  make  all  my  exhibitions  worthy  the  patronage  of  the  best  and  most  respectable 
families.  Finally,  my  great  desire  has  been  to  give  my  patrons  ten  times  the  worth  of  their 
money,  and  in  this  my  last  crowning  effort  to  overshadow  and  totally  eclipse  all  other 
exhibitions  hi  the  world." 

And  the  metropolitan  press,  people  and  patronage  combined,  only  repeated 
with  more  emphasis,  the  universal  testimony  of  the  country  as  to  the  extent 
and  merits  of  this  great  show.  Want  of  space  permits  me  to  copy  only  two 
or  three  of  the  favorable  articles  which  appeared  from  day  to  day  during 
the  entire  exhibition  in  the  columns  of  the  New  York  press.  The  following 
is  from  the  Baptist  Union  : 

EARE  CURIOSITIES. 

Mr.  P.  T.  Barnum  has  organized  at  the  Empire  Rink  a  very  large  exhibition,  combining  a 
Museum,  Menagarie,  International  Zoological  Garden,  Polytechnic  Institute  and  Hippo 
drome.  Having  examined  the  various  departments  of  this  vast  combination,  we  do  not 
hesitate  to  recommend  our  friends  to  go  with  their  families  to  visit  it,  and  they  will  enjoy  a 
treat  seldom  oftered  in  a  lifetime.  The  department  of  natural  history  is  especially  excellent 
and  interesting,  and  embraces  the  largest  and  rarest  collection  of  wild  animals  ever  exhib 
ited  together  in  this  or  probably  in  any  other  country.  Everything  connected  with  the 
entertainments  admirably  harmonizes  with  the  good  taste  and  respectability  which  give  to 
all  of  Mr.  Barnum's  enterprises  a  refinement  and  morality  which  commend  them  to  the 
most  scrupulous.  The  great  Hippodrome  Pageant,  in  which  appear  so  many  elephants, 
camels,  dromedaries,  horses  and  ponies,  with  men,  women  and  children  in  costumes  repre 
senting  the  Arabs  and  Bedouins  of  the  desert,  Roman  knights,  heralds,  warriors,  kings, 
princes  and  bashaws  of  the  olden  time,  is  truly  interesting  and  grand,  and  is  worth  going  a 
long  distance  to  see. 

That  popular  religious  journal,  the  New  York  Christian  .Leader,  edited 
by  the  Rev.  G.  H.  Emerson,  speaks  as  follows : 


862  REST    ONLY    FOUND    IN    ACTION. 

A  GOOD  SERMON  FOR  SHOWMEN. 

The  success  which  everywhere  attends  Earnum's  great  show  ought  to  he  evidence  to  the 
managers  who  furnish  amusement  to  the  public  that  profanity  and  indecency  of  speech  va_^ 
gesture — all  of  which  Mr.  Barnum  excludes  by  promptly  and  indignantly  dischargingr«ie 
offender — are  not  of  the  nature  of  supply  meeting  a  popular  demand.  If  a  man  is  coarse  and 
vulgar  himself,  he  usually  has  manhood  enough  left  not  to  take  his  wife  and  children  where 
coarseness  and  vulgarity  are  sure  to  be  witnessed.  Mr.  .Barman's  combination  is  now 
doing  for  canvas  what  his  Jenny  Lind  enterprise  did  for  public  halls.  Its  patrons  are  not 
individuals,  but  communities.  For  example,  the  factories  of  Paterson,  N.  J.,  were  com 
pelled  to  suspend,  the  operative  population  having  left,  en  masse  for  the  show.  But  this 
swimming  and  unsurpassed  success  would  come  to  a  full  stop  in  one  day  if  profanity  and 
indecency,  instead  of  being  rigorously  forbidden,  were  encouraged.  The  community  at 
large  respects  decency.  The  show,  bewildering,  various  and  mammoth  beyond  a  precedent, 
is  now  on  its  way  through  Now  England,  in  one  sense,  like  "Sherman's  inarch  to  the  flea," 
and  a  patronage  never  before  anticipated  is  organized  in  advance.  It  is  big,  and,  better 
s'.ill,  it  is  clean — clean  to  the  eye  and  to  the  moral  sense. 

"  Nym  Crinkle,"  tlie  Dramatic  Critic  of  the  Now  York  World,  wrote  a 
verj  entertaining  column  about  the  show  for  that  journal,  and  "  Trinculo" 
copied  it  in  full  in  the  "  Amusements  Gossip  "  of  the  New  York  Leader. 
The  following  is  extracted  from  the  article: 

BARNUM'S  UNIVERSAL  SHOW. 

Barnum,  who  long  ago  beat  all  creation,  is  now  exhibiting  his  spoils  at  the  Rink. 
Animated  nature  and  animated  art  make  a  stunning  combination,  especially  when  the 
combination  is  all  in  active  operation,  as  it  generally  is  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
and  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Then  one  can  enjoy  the  howls  of  the  animals,  the  rush 
and  scurry  of  the  arena,  the  rattlebang  of  the  band,  i^d  the  delight  of  ten  thousand  people, 
without  stopping  to  discriminate.  It  is  something  f%  the  veteran  showman  to  say  he  has 
been  able  to  stir  the  metropolis  with  his  caravan  "as  other  and  less  indifferent  villages  are 
stirred  by  smaller  shows.  The  combination,  as  shows  are  rated,  is  really  an  extraordinary 
one,  and  when  it  arrives  at  an  average  Western  city  it  doubles  the  population  for  them, 
contributing  of  its  own  multitudinous  teamsters,  tricksters,  and  stirrers-up  about  three 
hundred  people,  with  as  many  more  ravening  beasts  thrown  in. 

The  first  living  curiosity  that  one  meets  at  the  Rink  is  Barnum  himself  uncaged.  He  still 
holds  to  the  notion  that  it  is  worth  fifty  cents  to  look  at  him,  and  one  dollar  to  read  his  life ; 
and  as  nearly  everybody  has  looked  at  him  and  read  his  life,  we  presume  the  rest  of  the 
world  agrees  with  him.  Still  it  is  curious  to  observe  how  the  healthy  and  hearty  world, 
thronging  to  see  the  monkeys  and  the  mermaids,  mingle  awe  with  their  admiration  of  the 
greatest  curiosity  of  all.  They  are  subdued  by  a  sense  of  the  showman's  power.  They 
skirt  carefully  round  the  edges  of  his  greatness,  so  as  not  to  attract  too  much  of  his  atten 
tion,  for  who  could  tell  at  what  moment,  if  he  so  chose,  he  would  exhibit  them.  We  say  the 
healthy  and  hearty  world,  for  of  course  the  unhealthy  and  deformed  world,  which  we  all 
know  was  made  to  be  exhibited,  throngs  as  of  old  in  supplicating  procession  after  him. 
Three-legged  women  and  four-legged  men,  and  double-headed  children  may  be  seen  at  all 
hours  congregating  on  the  Third  avenue  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Rink,  seeking  audience  of  the 
great  showman.  Indeed,  the  observant  traveller  on  this  great  thoroughfare  will  know, 
hours  before  he  gets  to  the  Rink,  that  he  is  approaching  Barnum,  by  the  strange  monstrosi 
ties,  woolly  horses,  Albino  children,  and  living  skeletons  that  will  be  observed  wending 
their  way  from  all  parts  of  the  world  to  the  great  show  in  hope  of  getting  engagements.  Of 
course,  all  this  adds  to  the  excitement  and  interest  of  the  eager  multitude.  But  the  animals 
and  curiosities  inside  constitute  the  real  attraction  to  the  public ;  and  a  very  fine  collection  of 
animals  it  is.  The  eight  or  ten  royal  Abyssinian  and  Babylonian  lions  roar  less  like  sucking 
doves  than  any  that  have  had  their  jaws  stretched  among  us  since  Van  Amburgh's  time.  As 
for  the  rhinoceros,  he  deserves  especial  attention,  because,  as  the  card  ou  his  cage  informs 
us,  he  is  the  unicorn  of  Scripture.  But  he  doesn't  look  a  bit  like  the  agile  fellow  that  fought 
for  the  crown  on  his  hind  legs,  (ah,  he  was  an  artist,)  for  he  eats  too  much  hay,  and  nothing 
can  be  more  absurd  and  contrary  to  the  revolutionary  character  of  the  unicorn  dear  to  her 
aldry  than  this  iron-clad  monster  eating  hay  with  the  demureness  of  a  cow.  Still  there  is 
danger  in  his  cage,  the  keeper  informs  us,  and  he  ought  to  know,  for  he  probably  lived 
there  at  some  time  with  him  in  order  to  find  him  out.  And  he  further  assures  us  that  the 
reason  Mr.  Barnum  employs  him  to  take  care  of  the  beast  is  that  he  is  an  old  sailor,  nobody 
else  being  able  to  go  i-ound  his  horn.  Time,  however  would  not  suffice  to  relate  the  won 
ders  of  the  yak  and  guayga  and  the  wart  hog,  none  of  which  are  popular  pets,  nor  to  tell  of 
the  infinite  variety  of  the  feline  tribe,  from  felis  leo  himself  to  the  tiniest  cougar.  This 
collection  of  animals  makes  what  is  called  the  Zoological  Garden,  a  distinct  apartment  of 
the  show.  There  is  a  collection  of  camels — about  forty — and  several  elephants,  eating 
peanuts  with  singularly  disproportioned  taste,  at  the  east  end,  and  here,  we  observe,  is  the 
menagerie.  The  camels,  each  with  his  hump  tastefully  covered  with  a  camel's  hair  shawl, 
wajt  with  meek  patience  for  the  ring-master  to  call  them,  and  they  all  slide  out  on  their 
cushioned  feet  like  dusty  spectres.  It  would  be  well  to  visit  the  collection  of  wild  animals 
ufter  this,  and  then  inspect  the  exhibition  of  aniir/vted  nature,  reserving  the  caravan  till  the 


REST    ONLY    FOUND    IN    ACTION.  863 

last.  But  the  conscientious  visitor  has  the  hippodrome,  the  hippotheatron,  the  circus,  the 
arena  and  the  ring  to  inspect,  and  unless  he  hurries  up,  he  will  not  get  through  in  time.  We 
have  found  it  in  our  experience  that  the  best  plan  is  to  cut  the  arena,  the  hippodrome,  and 
thG  hippotheatron,  and  stick  to  the  circus.  The  circus  will  be  found  worthy  of  the  careful- 
est  study.  It  will  be  found  to  have  a  largeness  that  is  new,  and  certainly  it  would  be 
difficult  to  find  more  performers  or  have  them  do  more.  The  Kink,  thanks  to  Barnum,  is  a 
popular  resort.  We  forget  how  many  miles  of  promenade  there  are  through  the  zoological 
department  of  the  menagerie,  but  we  know  that  thousands  of  people  may  be  seen  there  of  a 
pleasant  afternoon,  adding  a  biological  interest  to  the  zoological  exhibit  that  is  well  worth 
noting. 

The  following  is  from  the  New  York  Daily  Standard  of  Dec.  28, 1871 : 

UNBOUNDED  ENTERPRISE. 

Mr.  P.  T.  Barnum  is  the  only  man  in  the  show-business  who  thoroughly  comprehends  the 
demands  of  the  public,  and  is  willing  to  satisfy  them  at  any  expenditure  of  time  and  means. 
His  projects  are  conceived  on  a  gigantic  scale,  very  far  in  advance  of  the  conservatism  so 
characteristic  of  even  liberal  managers.  His  expensive  expeditions  to  Labrador,  some  yours 
ago,  to  capture  white  wliales  for  the  American  Museum,  and  another  expedition  to  South 
Africa,  in  1859,  which  secured  the  iirst  and  only  living  hippopotamus  ever  seen  on  this  con 
tinent,  involved  an  outlay  sufficient  to  organize  and  completely  furnish  a  first-class  show. 
A  third  even  more  hazardous  expedition  was  sent  to  the  North  Pacific  to  capture  seals,  sea 
lions,  and  other  marine  monsters,  which  were  transported  thousands  of  miles  in  immense 
water  tanks.  These  are  but  a  few  in  many  instances  of  that  large  and  comprehensive  lib 
erality  that  distinguishes  all  of  Mr.  Barnnm's  enterprises,  and  is  the  source  of  his  managerial 
triumphs  and  the  foundation  of  his  financial  success.  Obstacles,  that  to  others  seem  insur 
mountable,  only  spur  him  on  to  greater  effort.  No  article  of  real  novelty  or  merit  which 
will  enhance  the  attractions  of  his  exhibitions  is  suffered  to  escape  for  lack  of  energy,  or  for 
want  of  liberal  expenditure  of  money.  It  is  this  spirit  that  has  enabled  Mr.  Barnum  to 
combine  in  one  exhibition  the  most  complete  and  colossal  collection  of  animate  and  inani 
mate  curiosities  ever  assembled  in  the  world. 

In  the  spring  of  1871,  when  the  great  show  was  about  to  enter  upon  its  first  campaign, 
complete  as  it  seemed  to  the  manager  and  to  other  experts,  Mr.  Barnum  thought  a  most 
valuable  feature  might  be  added.  He  telegraphed  to  the  whaling  ports  of  Now  England, 
and  sent  messages  to  San  Francisco  and  Alaska,  to  know  if  a  group  of  sea  lions  and  other 
specimens  of  the  phocine  tribe  could  be  secured.  Finally,  through  his  agents  in  San  Fran 
cisco,  lie  organized  an  expedition  to  Alaska.  By  the  first  of  July,  several  line  specimens  of 
seals  and  sea  lions,  some  of  the  bitter  weighing  more  than  1,000  pounds  each,  were  brought 
in  tanks  over  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  were  safely  landed  at  Bridgeport,  and,  thereafter, 
were  forwarded  to  the  show,  then  on  its  travels  through  NCAV  England.  As  these  delicate 
animals  are  likely  to  die,  arrangements  have  been  made  to  keep  good  the  supply,  and 
December  l(i,  1871,  Mr.  Barnum  received  a  telegram  from  San  Francisco  that  six  more  sea 
lions  had  just  arrived  at  that  port  for  him.  Two  of  these  will  be  sent,  by  arrangement,  to 
the  Zoological  Gardens,  in  Regent's  Park,  London,  and  the  rest,  with  several  seals  captured 
in  the  same  expedition,  will  be  added  to  Barnum's  show  next  spring. 

Mr.  Barnum's  active  and  enterprising  agents  are  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  South  America, 
and  elsewhere  in  the  world,  wherever  anything  rare  and  valuable— bird,  beast,  reptile,  or 
other  animate  or  inanimate  curiosity — can  be  secured,  which  will  add  to  the  interest  of  the 
the  exhibition.  In  the  menagerie,  and  the  hippodrome  also,  experts  are  constantly  engaged 
in  training  elephants,  camels,  performing  horses,  and  other  animals,  and  are  thus  preparing 
new  and  attractive  features,  some  of  which  will  be  as  novel  to  the  show  profession  as  they 
will  be  new  and  attractive  to  the  public. 

I  might  fill  hundreds  of  pages  with  the  notices  of  the  New  York  papers 
during  the  protracted  exhibition  at  the  Empire  Rink.  Every  day,  almost, 
the  journals  had  something  new  to  say  about  the  show,  from  the  simple 
fact  that  nearly  every  day  the  addition  of  some  new  animal  or  attraction, 
or  fresh  features  in  the  ring  performances  compelled  new  notices.  The 
exhibition  continued  with  unabated  success  and  patronage  till  after  the, 
holidays,  when  necessary  preparations  for  the  spring  campaign,  including 
the  repainting  of  all  the  wagons,  compelled  me  to  close. 

I  must  make  mention  merely  of  two  genuine  curiosities  from  California 
— the  one  a  section  of  one  of  the  big  trees,  and  the  other  a  bright  young 
Digger  Indian,  who  was  my  guide  through  the  Yosemite  Valley.  I  little 
thought  when  I  saw  the  big  trees  that  I  should  soon  secure  for  exhibition 
in  New  York  a  gigantic  section  of  one  of  them,  with  the  bark,  which, 


864  REST    ONLY    FOUND    IN   ACTION. 

set  up  as  it  enclosed  the  tree,  enclosed,  on  one  occasion,  at  the  Empire  Rink, 
two  hundred  children  from  the  Howard  Mission.  The  Digger  was  equally 
a  curiosity  in  his  way.  One  day  when  the  baboon  .escaped  from  his  cage, 
and  defied  all  the  efforts  of  the  keepers  to  capture  him,  my  Digger  Indian 
lassooed  him,  and  brought  him  down  with  a  run  and  a  rope  in  less  than 
no  time.  His  services  in,  and  with,  this  "  line "  on  other  occasions  were 
more  memorable.  -  •'•*. 

I  cannot  close  this  additional  narrative  without  warning  my  readers,  and 
the  public  generally,  that  the  enormous  success  of  my  great  combination 
has  stimulated  unscrupulous  smaller  showmen  to  feeble  imitations,  which, 
in  some  instances,  are,  and  are  intended  to  be,  downright  frauds  upon  the 
public.  Nearly  every  circus  and  menagerie  in  the  country  has  lately  added 
what  is  called  a  "  museum,"  and  in  some  cases  they  have  employed  a  man 
named,  or  supposed  to  be  named,  Barnum,  intending  to  advertise  under  the 
title  of  "  Barnum's  Show,"  thereby  deceiving  and  swindling  the  public 
The  trick  is  very  transparent,  and  can  be  successful,  if  at  all,  only  in  very 
rural  regions,  where  the  newspapers  fail  to  penetrate.  The  so-called 
"  Museums "  may  embrace  a  stuffed  animal  or  two,  and  a  small  show  of 
wax-works.  Indeed,  some  of  these  minor  managers  have  bought  cast-off 
curiosities  from  me,  and  cheap  rubbish  from  old  museums,  with  which  to 
set  up  the  "  new  features "  in  their  circuses  or  menageries.  The  whole 
public  knows  that  there  is  but  one  P.  T.  Barnum,  and  but  one  show  in  the 
country  of  sufficient  importance  to  bear  his  name.  I  trust  to  my  name  and 
my  long-worked-for  and  well-earned  reputation  to  insure  the  public  against 
imposition  from  the  attempts  of  my  imitators,  who  are  as  unprincipled  as 
they  will  be  unsuccessful  in  their  efforts  to  defraud  me  and  to  delude  the 
public. 


REST   ONLY   FOUND    IN   ACTION. 


865 


CONCLUSION. 


In  sending  these  last  pages  to  the  printer  in  March,  1872,  I  may  say  that 
my  manager,  Mr.  Coup,  his  assistants,  and  myself,  have  been  busy  ever 
since  New  Year's  in  reorganizing  our  great  travelling  show,  building  new 
wagons  and  cages,  and  painting,  gilding  and  repairing  the  others.  One  of 
the  great  carved,  mirrored  and  gilded  chariots,  from  England,  used  by  me 
in  1871,  is  a  grand  affair,  made  telescopic,  and  when  extended  to  its  full 
height  reaches  an  altitude  of  forty  feet,  on  the  top  of  which,  in  our  street 
processions,  we  place  a  young  lady,  costumed  to  personate  the  Goddess  of 
Liberty.  The  re-gilding  of  this  one  vehicle  preparatory  to  opening  our 
spring  campaign  cost  about  five  thousand  dollars  —  enough  to  build  a  nice 
house  in  the  country.  The  wintering  of  my  horses  and  wild  animals, 
salaries  of  employees  and  expense  of  fitting  up  properly  for  the  next 
season,  cost  over  $50,000.  During  the  winter  my  agents  abroad  have 
shipped  me  many  interesting  and  expensive  curiosities.  Indeed,  phip  after 
ship  has  brought  me  so  many  rare  animals  and  works  of  art  thit  I  have 
sometimes  been  puzzled  to  find  places  to  store  them. 

Two  beautiful  Giraffes,  or  Camelopards,  were  despatched  to  me,  but  one 
died  on  the  Atlantic,  making 
three  of  these  tender  and  valu 
able  animals  that  I  have  lost 
within  a  year.  The  only  one 
on  this  continent  at  this  present 
writing  is  mine.  He  is  a  beaifty. 
I  own  another,  which  is  now,  in 
the  Royal  Zoological  Gardens, 
Regent's  Park,  London,  ready 
to  be  shipped  at  any  moment 
should  I  unfortunately  be 
obliged  to  send  a  message  by 
the  Atlantic  Cable  announcing 
the  death  of  my  present  pet. 

Other  managers  gave  up  try 
ing  to  import  Giraffes  several 
years  ago,  owing  to  the  great 
cost  and  care  attending  them.  No  Giraffe  has  ever  lived  two  years  in 
America.  These  very*  impediments,  however,  incited  me  to  always  have  a 
living  Giraffe  on  hand,  at  whatever  cost  —  for,  of  course,  their  scarcity 
enhances  their  attraction  and  value  as  curiosities.  I  hear  that  my  example 
has  stimulated  the  manager  of  a  email  show  to  try  and  obtain  a  Giraffe.  I 


866 


BEST    ONLY    FOUND    IN    ACTION. 


am  educating  the  public  curiosity  and  taste  to  demand  so  much  that  is  rare 
and  valuable,  that  many  managers  will  soon  give  up  the  show  business,  as 
several  have  this  spring,  while  others  must  be  more  liberal  and  enterprising 
if  they  succeed. 

Hitherto  many  small  showmen  who  could  raise  cash  and  credit  to  the 
amount  of  $20,000,  would  get  half  a  dozen  cages  of  cheap  animals,  two  or 
three  fourth-rate  circus  riders,  a  few  acmfcs  or  tumblers,  a  clown,  and 
three  or  four  broken  down  "  ring  horses  ;"  ~tl!en  buying  some  ready  printed 
dashy  show-bills  wm-rep resenting  their  show,  they  would  announce  a  great 
menagerie  and  circus,  and  perhaps  clear  the  cost  of  their  show  the  first 
season ;  for  there  are  some  persons  who  are  bound  to  go  to  "  the  show  " 
whatever  may  be  its  merits.  But  the  public  are  generally  getting  sick  of 
this  same  old  story,  and  as  my  Broadway  American  Museum  years  ago 
served  to  reform  or  extinguish  "  one  horse  shows,"  so  I  trust  that  the 
immensity  of  my  travelling  show  will  serve  to  elevate  and  extend  public 
expectations  and  improve  public  exhibitions. 

Several  immense  Sea  Lions  and  Barking  Seals  have  also  been  captured 

by  my  agents  at  Alaska  and  are 
added  to  the  "innumerable 
caravan."  Some  of  these  ma 
rine  monsters  weigh  a  thousand 
pounds  each,  and  each  consumes 
from  sixty  to  a  hundred  pounds 
of  fish  per  day.  It  is  very  curi 
ous  to  see  them  floundering  in 
and  out  of  the  immense  watei 
tanks  in  which  I  transport  them 
through  the  country.  Their 
tremendous  roar  may  often  be 
heard  the  distance  of  a  mile. 

Among  my  equestrian  novel 
ties  is  an  Italian  Goat  taught  in 
Europe  to  ride  on  horseback, 
leap  through  hoops  and  over 
banners,  alighting  on  his  feet  on  the  back  of  the  horse  while  at  full  speed. 
I  named  him  "Alexis "  in  honor  of  the  Russian  Prince.  He  appeared  at 
Ni  bio's  Garden,  New  York,  in  February,  and  created  much  enthusiasm. 

Numerous  artists  in  different  parts  of  Europe  have  been  engaged  all 
winter  in  making  for  my  show  extraordinary  Musical  and  other  Automa 
tons  and  Moving  Tableaux,  so  marvelous  in  their  construction  as  to  seem 
enchanted  or  to  be  possessed  of  life. 

But  perhaps  the  most  rare  and  curious  addition  to  my  great  show,  and 
certainly  the  most  difficult  to  obtain,  is  a  company  of  four  wild  FIJI 
CANNIBALS  I  I  have  tried  in  vain  for  years  to  secure  specimens  of  these 
"  man-eaters."  At  last  the  opportunity  came.  Three  of  these  Cannibal*? 


REST    FOUND    ONLY    IN    ACTION. 


867 


having  fallen  into  tlie  hands  of  their  Royal  enemy,  who  was  about  to 
execute,  and  perhaps  to  eat  them,  the  missionaries  and  my  agent  prevailed 
upon  the  copper-colored  king  to  accept  a  large  sum  in  gold  on  condition  of 
his  majesty's  granting  them  a  reprieve  and  leave  of  absence  to  America  for 
three  years,  my  agent  also  leaving 
a  large  sum  with  the  American 
Consul  to  be  forfeited  if  the^J^re 
not  returned  within  the  time 
stipulated.  Accompanying  them 
in  a  half-civilized  Cannibal  woman, 
converted  and  educated  by  the 
Methodist  missionaries.  Fhe 
reads  fluently  and  very  pleasantly 
from  the  Bible  printed  in  the 
Fijian  language,  and  she  already 
exerts  a  powerful  moral  influence 
over  these  savages.  They  take  a 
lively  interest  in  hearing  her  read 
the  history  of  our  Saviour.  They 
earnestly  declare  their  convictions 
that  eating  human  flesh  is  wrong, 
and  faithfully  promise  never 
again  to  attempt  it.  They  are  intelligent  and  docile.  Their  character 
istic  war  dances  and  rude  marches,  as  well  as  their  representations 
of  Cannibal  manners  and  customs,  are  peculiarly  interesting  and  instruc 
tive.  It  is  perhaps  needless  to  add  that  the  bonds  for  their  return  will  be 
forfeited.  They  are  already  learning  to  speak  and  read  our  language,  and 
1  hope  soon  to  put  them  in  the  way  of  being  converted  to  Christianity,  even 
if  by  so  doing  the  title  of  "  Missionary  "  be  added  to  the  many  already 
given  me  by  the  public. 

The  folloAving  happy  hit  is  from  the  pen  of  Rev.  HKNRY  WARD  BuucirKit 
as  it  appeared  in  that  excellent  paper  of  which  he  is  editor,  the  N.  Y 
Christian  Union  of  Feb.  28th,  1872 : 

"Should  not  a  paternal  government  set  some  limit  to  the  enterprise  of  Brother  Uarnum  : 
with  reference,  at  least,  to  the  considerations  of  public  safety?  Ilere,  upon  our  desk,  lies 
an  indication  of  his  last  perilous  venture.  lie  invites  us  "and  one  friend" — no  conditions  as 
to  "condition"  specified— to  a  private  exhibition  of  four  living  cannibal*,  which  he  has 
obtained  from  the  Fiji  Islands,  for  his  travelling  show.  We  have  beaten  up,  in  this  office, 
among;  the  lean  and  tough,  and  those  most  easily  spared  in  an  emergency,  for  volunteers  to 
visit  the  Anthropophagi,  and  report ;  but  never  has  the  retiring  and  self-distrustful  disposi 
tion  of  our  employees  been  more  signally  displayed.  This  establishment  was  not  represented 
at  that  exposition.  If  Barnum  had  remembered  to  specify  the  "Feeding-time,1'  we  might 
have  dropped  in,  in  a  friendly  way,  at  some  other  period  of  the  day." 

I  may  add  that  at  the  above  exhibition  several  editors  brought  their 
daughters.  These  blooming  young  ladies  refused  to  sit  on  the  front  seat, 
in  the  fear  of  being  eaten ;  but  I  remarked  that  there  was  more  danger  of 
some  of  the  young  gentlemen  swallowing  them  alive,  than  there  was  from 
the  cannibals.  The  belles  subsided  and  were  safe. 


868  REST   FOUND    ONLY   IN    ACTION. 

And  now  conies  a  joke  so  huge  and  ludicrous  that  I  laugh  over  it  daily, 
although  there  is  a  serious  aspect  to  it.  Every  shipment  of  curiosities  that 
has  arrived  from  abroad  this  winter  has  served  to  put  my  worthy  Manager 
Coup  in  great  agony. 

"I  tell  you,  Mr.  Barnum,  you  are  getting  this  show  too  big,"  has  been 
repeated  by  my  perplexed  manager  a  hundred  times  since  New  Year's. 

"  Never  mind,"  I  reply,  "  we  ought  to  hav«$j|  Ug  show— the  public  expect 
it,  and  will  appreciate  it." 

"  So  here  must  go  six  thousand  dollars  more  for  a  Giraffe  wagon  and  the 
horses  to  draw  it,"  says  Coup,  "  and  this  makes  more  than  seventy  additional 
horses  that  your  importations  since  last  fall  have  rendered  necessary." 

"  Well,  friend  Coup,  we  have  the  only  Giraffe  in  America,"  I  replied. 

"  Yes,  sir,  that  is  all  very  well,  but  no  country  can  support  such  an 
expensive  show  as  you  are  putting  on  the  road." 

And  that  is  poor  Coup's  doleful  complaint  continually. 

But  now  conies  a  more  serious  side,  and  here  is  where  the  joke  comes  in. 
I  had  wintered  about  five  hundred  horses,  and  was  preparing  to  add  at  least 
another  hundred  to  my  retinue.  I  induced  my  son-in-law,  Mr.  S.  H.  Kurd, 
to  sell  out  his  business,  take  stock  in  the  show,  and  become  its  treasurer 
and  assistant  manager.  Hurd  is  clear-headed,  but  he  moves  cautiously, 
and  "  looks  before  he  leaps."  On  a  cold,  clear  morning  in  February,  1872, 
Mr.  Coup,  Mr.  Hurd,  and  several  of  our  leading  assistants  and  counsellors 
called  at  my  house.  Their  countenances  were  solemn,  not  to  say  lugubri 
ous  ;  their  jaws  seemed  firmly  set,  and  altogether  I  discovered  something 
ominous  in  their  appearance.  I  saw  that  there  was  solid  business  ahead, 
but  I  said  with  a  smile : 

"  Gentlemen,  I  am  right  glad  to  see  you.  I  confess  you  don't  look  very 
jolly,  but  never  mind,  unbosom  yourselves,  and  tell  me  what  is  up." 

Manager  Coup  opened  the  ball. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  to  say,  Mr.  Barn  urn,"  said  that  honest,  good-hearted 
manager,  "  that  our  business  here  is  important  and  serious.  Although  we, 
of  course,  like  to  bow  to  your  decisions,  and  are  ready  to  acknowledge  that 
your  experience  is  greater  than  ours,  we  have  had  a  long  and  serious  con 
sultation  this  morning,  and  have  unanimously  concluded  that  your  show  is 
more  than  twice  too  large  to  succeed  ;  that  you  will  lose  nearly  four 
hundred  thousand  dollars  if  you  try  to  drag  it  all  through  the  country,  and 
that  your  only  chance  of  success  is  to  sell  off  more  than  half  of  your 
curiosities  and  horses  and  wagons,  or  else  divide  them  into  three,* or 
certainly  two  distinct  shows." 

"  Is  this  a  mutiny,  gentlemen  ?"  I  asked,  with  a  feeling  and  countenance 
far  from  solemn. 

"  By  no  means  a  mutiny,  father,"  said  Hurd,  "  but  really  it  is  a  very 
serious  affair.  We  have  been  making  a  careful  and  close  calculation." 
Here  he  drew  from  his  pocket  a  sheet  of  paper  covered  with  figures,  and 
read  from  it:  "The  expenses  of  your  exhibitions,  including  nearly  a 
thousand  men  and  horses,  the  printing,  board,  salaries,  &c.,  will  average 
more  than  $4,000  per  day.  But  call  it  $4,000,  You  show  thirty  weeks— 


REST    FOUND    ONLY    IN    ACTION.  869 

180  daya.  Thus  your  expenses  for  the  tenting  season,  besides  wear  and 
tear  and  general  depreciation,  will  be  at  least  $720,000.  This  is  about 
twice  as  much  as  any  show  ever  took  in  one  season,  except  your  own,  last 
year.  This  is  the  year  of  the  presidential  election,  which,  on  account  of 
political  excitement  and  mass  meetings,  always  injures  travelling  shows. 
We  have  carefully  looked  over  the  towns  which  you  will  be  able  to  touch 
this  summer,  not  going  west  of  Ohio,  for  you  cannot  get  beyond  that  State 
in  a  single  season,  and  we  compute  your  receipts  at  not  over  $350,000, 
which  would  leave  you  a  loser  of  $370,000." 

"Are  you  not  a  little  mistaken  in  some  of  your  estimates  ?"  I  asked. 
"  Mr.  Barnum,  figures  never  lie,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Coup,  with  great  earnest 
ness,  and,  pulling  a  pocket-map  from  his  breast  pocket,  he  opened  it,  and  1 
saw  that  he  was  set  down  for  the  next  spokesman. 

"  Our  teams  cannot  travel  with  heavy  loads  more  than  an  average,  of 
twenty  miles  per  day,"  continued  Coup ;  "  now  please  follow  the  lines 
marked  on  this  map,  and  you  will  find  that  we  are  compelled  to  make 
seventy-one  stands  where  there  are  not  people  enough  within  five  miles  to 
give  us  an  average  of  $1,000  per  day.  That  will  involve  a  loss  of  $213,000, 
and,  I  tell  you,  that  taking  accidents,  storms,  and  other  risks,  the  season 
will  be  ruinous  if  you  don't  reduce  the  show  more  than  one-half." 

"  Coup,"  I  replied    "  did  not  thousands  of  people  come  fifty,  sixty,  a 
hundred  miles  last  year,  by  railroad  excursions,  to  see  my  show  ?" 
He  confessed  that  they  did. 

"Well,"  I  replied,  "if  you  have  lost  faith  in  the  discernment  of  the 
public,  I  have  not,  and  I  propose  to  prove  it."  Then,  laughing  heartily,  I 
added: 

"  Gentlemen,  I  thank  you  for  your  advice  ;  but  I  won't  reduce  the  show  a 
single  hair  or  feather;  on  the  contrary,  I  will  add  five  or  six  hundred 
dollars  per  day  to  my  expenses !" 

My  assembled  "  cabinet "  rolled  their  eyes  in  astonishment. 
"  Father,  are  you  crazy  ?"  asked  Hurd,  with  a  look  of  despair. 
"  Not  much,"  I  replied. 

"  Now,"  I  continued,  "  I  see  the  show  is  too  big  to  drag  from  village  to 
village  by  horse  power,  and  I  have  long  suspected  it  would  be,  and  have 
laid  my  plans  accordingly.  I  will  immediately  telegraph  to  all  the  principal 
railroad  centres  between  here  and  Omaha,  Nebraska,  and  within  five  days  I 
will  tell  you  what  it  will  cost  to  transport  my  whole  show,  taking  leaps  of 
a  hundred  miles  or  more  in  a  single  night  when  necessary,  so  as  to  hit 
good-sized  towns  every  day  in  the  season.  If  I  can  do  this  with  sixty  or 
seventy  freight  cars,  six  passenger  cars  and  three  engines,  within  such  a 
figure  as  I  think  it  ought  to  be  done  for,  I  will  do  it." 

The  "  cabinet"  adjourned  for  five  days,  and  it  was  worth  something  to 
see  how  astonished,  and  apparently  pleased,  the  various  members  looked  as 
they  withdrew. 

At  the  appointed  time  all  met  again.  The  railroad  telegrams  were 
generally  favorable,  and  we,  then  and  there,  resolved  to  transport  the 


870  REST    FOUND    ONLY    IN    ACTION. 

entire  Museum,  Menagerie  and  Hippodrome,  all  of  the  coming  season .  by  rail, 
enlisting  a  power  which,  if  expended  on  traversing  common  wagon  roads, 
would  be  equivalent  to  two  thousand  men  and  horses. 

If  life  and  health  are  spared  me  till  another  spring,  I  will  report  the 
result  of  thus  setting  on  foot  a  mighty  "  army  with  banners ."  But  if  it  is 
wisely  appointed  that  some  other  hand  shall  record  it,  1  confidently  trust 
that  the  American  public  will  bear  witness  that  1  found  great  pleasure  in 
contributing  to  their  rational  enjoyment. 

P   T   B 


*    -it IT 


. 


APPENDIX     II. 

WRITTEN  UP  TO  FEBRUARY,  1873. 
A    REMARKABLE    CAMPAIGN. 

RECORD  OF  EVENTS — IMMENSE  BUSINESS — RETROGRADING  NOT  MT  NATURE — TREASURER'S  RE 
PORT— SURPRISED  AT  LAST— EXCITEMENT  IN  THE  RURAL  DISTRICTS— CAMPIN0  OUT—"  SEE 
ING  BARNUM" — AN  "INCIDENT  OF  TRAVEL" — DOWN  THE  BANK — A  TERRIBLE  NIGHT — A 

TEMPERANCE  CREW — CLOSE  OF  THE  TENTING  SEASON — WESTWARD  HO  1 — FREE  LECTURES — 
WALDEMERE — A  FIFTY  THOUSAND  DOLLAR  DOOR-YARD — VISIT  OF  HORACE  GREELEY — TRIP 
TO  COLORADO — MY  NEW  ENTERPRISE — FOURTEENTH  STREET  HIPPODROME — GRAND  OPEN 
ING — A  BRILLIANT  AUDIENCE — DEPARTURE  FOR  THE  SOUTH — NEW  ORLEANS  IN  WINTER — 
NEWS  OF  THE  CONFLAGRATION— "  BUSINESS  BEFORE  PLEASUKE  v— EN  ROUTE  FOR  HOME- 
SPEECH  AT  THE  ACADEMY— SEASON  OF  1873— CONCLUSION. 

READEKS  of  the  preceding  pages  will  expect  in  this  Appendix  a  brief  re- 
suin6  of  events  relating  to  my  Great  Travelling  World's  Fair  for  the  season 
of  1872.  Connected  as  I  have  been  with  so  many  gigantic  undertakings,  and 
the  subject  of  so  many  and  varied  experiences,  it  can  hardly  be  thought  strange 
if  I  have  taught  myself  not  to  be  surprised  at  anything  in  the  way  of  busi 
ness  results.  The  idea  of  attempting  to  transport  by  rail  any  company  or 
combination  requiring  sixty-five  cars — to  be  moved  daily  from  point  to  point 
— was  an  experiment  of  such  magnitude  that  railroad  companies  could 
not  supply  my  demands,  and  I  was  compelled  to  purchase  and  own  all  the 
cars.  Up  to  this  time  in  life,  my  record  is  clear  for  never  retrograding 
after  once  embarking  in  any  undertaking,  and  I  did  not  propose  to  establish 
a  contrary  precedent  at  this  late  day,  so,  at  the  appointed  time,  the  great 
combination  moved  westward  by  rail :  The  result  is  known.  It  visited  the 
States  of  New  Jersey,  Delaware,  Maryland,  Pennsylvania,  District  of  Colum 
bia,  Virginia,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Kentucky,  Illinois,  Missouri,  Kansas,  Iowa,  Min 
nesota,  Wisconsin  and  Michigan.  In  order  to  exhibit  only  in  large  towns,  it 
was  frequently  necessary  to  travel  one  hundred  miles  in  a  single  night,  arriv 
ing  in  season  to  give  three  exhibitions  and  the  usual  street  pageant  at  8 
o'clock  A.  M.  By  means  of  cheap  excursion  trains,  thousands  of  strangers 
attended  daily  from  along  the  lines  of  the  various  railroads,  for  a  distance  of 
fifty,  seventy-five  and  even  a  hundred  miles.  Other  thousands  came  in 
wagons,  on  horse-back  and  by  every  means  of  conveyance  that  could  be 
pressed  into  service,  until  by  10  o'clock — the  hour  for  the  morning  exhibition 
— the  streets,  sidewalks  and  stores  were  filled  with  strangers.  It  was  univer 
sally  conceded  that  the  money  invested  by  these  country  customers,  who 
took  this  opportunity  to  visit  the  town  and  make  purchases,  exceeded  by 
many  thousands  of  dollars  the  amount  I  took  away.  Indeed,  my  own  expen 
ditures  at  each  point  where  we  exhibited,  averaged  one-half  my  gross 
receipts. 


(871) 


872  A   REMARKABLE    CAMPAIGN. 

Some  idea  of  the  excitement  throughout  the  country,  may  be  formed  from 
the  fact  that,  upon  arriving  at  daylight,  we  usually  found  wagon  loads  of 
rural  strangers — men,  women  and  children — who  had  come  in  during  the 
night,  and  "  pitched  camp."  They  had  arrived  at  a  most  unseasonable  hour 
for  pleasure,  but  this  nocturnal  experience  was  no  barrier  when  they  had 
the  ultimatum  of  "  seeing  Barnum."  Notwithstanding  our  transportation 
was  necessarily  done  at  night,  under  all  the  disadvantages  of  darkness  and 
usually  by  three  trains,  it  is  gratifying  to  look  back  upon  the  great  railroad 
campaign  of  1872  as  entirely  free  from  serious  accident.  A  few  minor  casu 
alties  occurred.  At  1  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  June  8,  several  of  our 
cars  and  cages  were  precipitated  down  an  embankment  at  Erie,  Penn.,  by  the 
gross  carelessness  of  a  switchman,  and  the  utter  recklessness  of  two  locomo 
tive  engineers.  The  accident  resulted  in  no  loss  of  life,  but  the  crushed 
cages,  the  roaring  of  the  animals,  the  general  excitement,  coupled  with  the 
fact  that  the  night  was  one  of  Egyptian  darkness,  all  combined  to  form  an 
"  incident  of  travel "  long  to  be  remembered.  It  is  also  a  source  of  satisfac 
tion  to  record  that  nothing  like  riotous  conduct,  quarreling  or  disturbing 
elements  of  any  nature  have  annoyed  us  during  the  tenting  season.  I  attri 
bute  this  to  one  fact,  viz.,  that  my  employees  are  teetotalers  and  of  gentle 
manly  behavior  ;  that  they  fully  appreciate  the  wisdom  of  my  forty  years' 
motto — "  WE  STUDY  TO  PLEASE  " — and  consequently  make  every  effort  to 
preserve  decorum,  and  make  visitors  as  happy  as  possible  during  the  few 
hours  they  are  with  us. 

With  wonderful  unanimity  the  public  and  the  press  acknowledged  that  I 
exhibited  much  more  than  I  advertised,  and  that  no  combination  of  exhibi 
tions  that  ever  travelled  had  shown  a  tithe  of  the  instructive  and  amus 
ing  novelties  that  I  had  gathered  together.  This  universal  commendation  is, 
to  me,  the  most  gratifying  feature  of  the  campaign,  for  not  being  com 
pelled  to  do  business  merely  for  the  sake  of  profit,  my  highest  enjoyment 
is  to  delight  my  patrons.  The  entire  six  months'  receipts  of  the  Great  Trav 
elling  World's  Fair  exceeded  one  million  dollars.  The  expenses  of  156  days 
were  nearly  $5,000  per  day,  making  about  $780,000,  besides  the  interest  on  a 
million  dollars  capital,  and  the  wear  and  tear  of  the  whole  establishment. 
Although  these  daily  expenses  were  more  than  double  the  receipts  of  any 
other  show  ever  organized  in  any  country,  the  financial  result  -surprised 
every  one,  and  even  I,  who  had  anticipated  so  much,  was  a  little  "  set  back  " 
when  my  treasurer  made  his  final  report.  It  will  be  remembered  that  it 
was  the  year  of  a  heated  presidential  campaign,  when  factional  strife  and  po 
litical  ambition  might  be  expected  to  monopolize  public  attention  to  the  seri" 
ous  detriment  of  amusements  generally.  I  think  I  may  with  truth  say  that 
no  other  man  in  America  would  have  dared  to  assume  such  risk.  All  well 
known  showmen  agree  that  without  my  name,  which  is  recognized  as  the 
synonym  of  "  OLD  RELIABLE — always  giving  my  patrons  thrice  the  worth  of 
their  money,"  the  enormous  outlay  I  incurred  would  have  swamped  any  other 
proprietor  of  this  vast  collection  of  novelties,  requiring  the  services  of 
1,000  men  and  300  horses.  The  tenting  season  proper,  closed  at  Detroit 


A  REMARKABLE  CAMPAIGN.  873 

October  30th,  -when  we  were  patronized  by  the  largest  concourse  of  people 
ever  assembled  in  the  State  of  Michigan. 

During  this  season  of  unparalleled  prosperity,  I  made  it  my  custom  to  be 
present  at  all  large  cities  and  prominent  points,  and  superintend  in  person 
the  gigantic  combination.  Frequently  I  was  invited  by  leaders  in  the  tem 
perance  cause  or  by  the  "  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations"  to  lecture  on 
temperance,  which  invitation  I  accepted  when  in  my  power,  but  always  upon 
conditions  that  the  lecture  should  be  free  and  open  to  all.  As  a  matter  of 
fact  I  may  be  permitted  to  say  that  upon  these  occasions  more  people  were 
turned  away  than  gained  admission,  but  whether  these  crowds  were  attracted 
by  an  interest  in  the  temperance 'Cause,  or  from  a  desire  to  get  a  glimpse  of 
the  old  showman,  I  have  never  been  fully  satisfied.  My  manager  and  assist 
ants  insist  that  the  latter  is  true,  and  that  my  free  lectures,  especially  in  the 
large  cities,  result  to  my  pecuniary  disadvantage,  as  fully  satisfying  many 
who  otherwise  would  patronize  the  exhibition  to  gratify  their  curiosity. 
However,  as  our  immense  pavilions  are  always  crowded,  I  can  see  no  real  cause 
for  complaint.  At  my  stage  of  life  I  confess  to  a  deeper  interest  in  the  noble 
cause  of  temperance  than  I  ever  had  in  the  largest  audience  ever  assembled 
under  canvas.  If  but  one-half  the  people  who  have  signed  the  pledge  at 
these  lectures  keep  it  through  life,  I  shall  feel  that  my  labors  in  -this  direc 
tion  will  not  have  been  devoid  of  valuable  and  beneficent  results. 

Early  in  the  presidential  canvass  I  published  a  general  invitation  offering 
the  free  use  of  my  immense  Hippodrome  pavilion  to  either  of  the  great 
political  parties,  for  holding  mass  meetings.  No  building  in  the  West  would 
accommodate  the  masses  seeking  admission  upon  these  occasions,  and  "  open 
air"  gatherings  were  at  a  discount,  even  with  enthusiastic  politicians.  My 
immense  circus  canvas  had  a  seating  capacity  of  12,000,  and  was  proof 
against  ordinary  storms.  My  offer  gave  the  free  use  of  this  immense  tent 
between  the  hours  of  4  and  6  P.  M.  The  invitation  was  accepted  in 
some  instances  where  the  exhibition  and  the  political  gathering  were  billed 
for  the  same  day. 

When  not  with  the  company  I  spent  most  of  my  time  at  my  ideal  home — 
Waldemere.  To  me  who  have  travelled  so  far  and  seen  so  much,  and  whose 
life  seems  destined  to  be  an  eventful  one,  this  delightful  summer  retreat  is 
invested  with  new  charms  at  each  successive  visit.  The  beautiful  groves 
seem  still  more  beautiful,  the  foliage  more  green,  the  entire  scenery  more 
picturesque  and  the  broad  expanse  of  water — with  the  Long  Island  shore  vis 
ible  in  the  mazy  background — sparkles  in  the  sunlight  with  additional  bril 
liancy.  Possibly  my  affection  for  Waldemere  is  due  in  some  degree  to  the 
fact  that  I  can  here  look  upon  thriving  shade  trees  and  spacious  drives  of 
my  own  creation,  and  that  wherever  art  has  beautified  nature,  it  has  but 
utilized  plans  and  carried  out  suggestions  of  my  own.  In  1871  I  attached 
to  Waldemere  a  new  building  for  a  library.  Its  architecture  was  so  beauti 
ful  and  unlike  the  main  edifice  that  after  expending  $10,000  on  it,  I  was 
obliged  to  lay  out  $30,000  on  the  house  to  make  it  "  correspond ! "  It  wa« 
the  old  story  of  the  man's  new  sofa  over  again.  When  the  building  was 
enlarged,  the  lawn  on  the  east  side  appeared  too  narrow,  so  I  purchased  a 


874  A    REMARKABLE    CAMPAIGN. 

slip  of  land  (seven  acres)  on  that  side  for  $50,000.  The  land  is  worth  it  for 
building  lots  at  present  prices,  but  I  could  not  help  half  agreeing  with  a 
neighboring  farmer  who  said,  "  well,  that  Barnum  is  the  queerest  man  I 
ever  saw.  He's  gone  and  spent  $50,000  for  a  little  potato  patch  to  put  on 
his  door-yard."  The  past  season  my  summer  home  was  made  still  more  at 
tractive  by  the  frequent  presence  of  distinguished  personal  friends,  whom 
I  took  delight  in  entertaining.  Their  sojourn  I  endeavored  to  make  agree 
able,  and  in  after  years  their  recollections  of  Waldemere  will,  I  trust,  be 
pleasing  reminiscences  of  a  quiet  visit  and  unfeigned  hospitality.  In  August 
I  received  a  visit  from  my  esteemed  friend,  the  late  Horace  Greeley. 
Mine  was  one  of  the  few  private  residences  he  visited  during  the  campaign, 
and  the  last,  I  think,  which  he  sought  for  relaxation  or  pleasure.  I  have 
every  reason  to  believe  that  he  spoke  the  true  sentiment  of  his  heart  when 
he  assured  me  of  his  enjoyment  while  at  my  house,  and  never  did  a  care 
worn  journalist,  and  him  too  the  very  central  figure  of  a  heated  political 
campaign,  stand  more  in  need  of  repose  and  perfect  freedom  from  mental 
excitement  than  did  Mr.  Greeley  at  this  time.  I  arranged  an  old-fashioned 
clam  bake,  at  which  were  present  congenial  spirits  from  home  and  abroad. 
Mr.  Greeley  laid  aside  all  restraint.  He  mingled  freely  with  the  guests,  and 
his  native  genial  humor  and  ready  wit  contributed  greatly  to  the  enjoyment. 
The  keenest  observer  could  have  detected  nothing  like  care  or  anxiety  upon 
his  countenance,  and  the  stranger  would  have  pointed  him  out  as  a  quiet 
farmer  enjoying  a  day  at  the  sea-side. 

Although  not  much  of  a  politician  I  have  my  political  preferences.  Mr. 
Greeley  was  my  life-long  personal  friend.  I  gave  him  my  support.  Once  I 
ventured  my  opinion  that  his  election  was  doubtful.  He  replied  that  a  more 
important  result  than  his  election  would  be,  that,  running  upon  so  liberal  a 
platform  as  that  adopted  at  Cincinnati,  would  compel  all  parties  to  recognize 
a  higher  standard  regarding  public  justice  and  the  rights  of  others.  "  My 
chief  concern,"  he  added,  '•"  is  to  do  nothing  in  this  canvass  that  I  shall  look 
back  upon  with  an  unapproving  conscience." 

In  October  I  visited  Colorado  accompanied  by  my  English  friend  John 
Fish,  and  a  Bridgeport  gentleman  who  has  an  interest  with  me  in  a  stock- 
raising  ranche  in  the  southern  part  of  that  Territory.  We  took  the  Kansas 
Pacific  Railroad  to  Denver,  seeing  many  thousands  of  wild  buffalo — our  train 
sometimes  being  stopped  to  let  them  pass.  The  weather  was  delightful. 
We  spent  several  days  in  the  new  and  flourishing  town  of  Greeley.  I  gave 
a  temperance  lecture  there  ;  also  at  Denver.  At  the  latter  city,  in  the  course 
of  my  remarks,  I  told  them  I  never  saw  so  many  disappointed  people  as  at 
Denver.  The  large  audience  looked  surprised,  but  were  relieved  when  I 
added,  "  half  the  inhabitants  came  invalids  from  the  East,  expecting  to  die, 
and  they  find  they  cannot  do  it.  Your  charming  climate  will  not  permit  it ! " 
And  it  is  a  fact.  I  am  charmed  with  Colorado,  the  scenery  and  delightful 
air,  and  particularly  would  I  recommend  as  a  place  of  residence  to  those  who 
can  afford  it,  the  lively,  thriving  city  of  Denver.  To  those  who  have  their 

fortunes  yet  to  make,  I  say  "  go  to  Greeley." 

J  *  ,  /rtoa  won  e'nr:ax  f*fa  *o  v.i 

a  1  tt*  woriflH  •<  sb&  teao  sift  no  irwal  od 

• 


A    REMARKABLE    CAMPAIGN.  875 

We  took  the  narrow  gauge  road  from  Denver  to  Pueblo,  stopping  at  Colo 
rado  Springs  and  the  "  Garden  of  the  gods."  The  novel  scenery  here  amply 
paid  us  for  our  visit.  From  Pueblo  I  proceeded  forty  miles  by  carriage  to 
our  cattle  ranche,  and  spent  a  couple  of  days  there  very  pleasantly.  We 
have  several  thousand  head  of  cattle  there,  which  thrive  through  the 
winter  without  hay  or  fodder  of  any  kind. 

At  the  close  in  Detroit  of  the  great  Western  railroad  tour,  I  equipped  and 
started  South  a  Museum,  Menagerie  and  Circus,  which,  while  it  made  no  per- 
ceptible  diminution  in  the  main  body,  was  still  the  largest  and  most  complete 
travelling  expedition  ever  seen  in  the  Southern  States.  Louisville  was 
designated  as  the  rendezvous  and  point  of  consolidation  of  the  various 
departments,  and  the  new  expedition  gave  its  initial  exhibition  in  the  Falls 
City,  November  4th.  Much  of  the  menagerie  consisted  of  animals  of  which 
I  owned  the  duplicate,  and  hence  could  easily  spare  them  without  injuring 
the  variety  in  my  zoological  collection.  I  was  aware  also  that  many  of  the 
rare  specimens  would  thrive  better  in  a  warmer  climate,  and  as  the  expense 
of  procuring  them  had  been  enormous,  I  coupled  my  humanitarian  feelings 
with  my  pecuniary  interests  and  sent  them  South. 

And  now  in  this  routine  of  events  for  1872, 1  record  one  important  project 
with  mingled  feelings  of  pleasure  and  pain.  In  August  I  purchased  of  Mr. 
L.  B.  Lent  the  building  and  lease  in  Fourteenth  street,  New  York,  known  as 
the  Hippo theatron.  One  purpose  was  to  open  a  Museum,  Menagerie  and 
Hippodrome  that  would  give  employment  to  two  hundred  of  my  people 
who  otherwise  would  be  idle  during  the  winter.  Another  and  main  object 
was  to  take  the  inaugural  steps  toward  the  foundation  of  a  permanent 
establishment,  where  the  higher  order  of  arenic  entertainments  could  be 
witnessed  under  all  the  advantages  of  a  thoroughly  equipped,  refined  and 
moral  dramatic  entertainment.  My  project  combined  not  only  a  circus,  but 
a  museum  of  the  world's  wonders  and  a  menagerie  that  should  equal  in 
extent  and  variety  the  great  zoological  collection  of  London.  I  realized  the 
importance  of  an  establishment  in  New  York  where  old  and  young  could 
seek  innocent  amusement,  and  where  Christian  parents  could  take  their 
children  and  feel  that  the  exhibition  contributed  not  only  to  their  enjoyment 
but  to  their  instruction.  The  press  generally  had  kindly  acknowledged  the 
success  of  my  efforts  in  bringing  the  modern  arena  up  to  its  proper  stand 
ard  among  the  fashionable  amusements  of  the  day.  By  divesting  the  ring 
of  all  objectionable  features,  and  securing  the  highest  talent  of  both  hem 
ispheres,  my  circus  had  become  popularized  among  the  better  classes,  for 
whose  good  opinion  it  has  ever  been  my  fortune  to  cater.  At  an  expense 
of  $60,000  I  enlarged  and  remodeled  the  building,  so  as  to  admit  my 
valuable  collection  of  animals,  museum  of  life-size  automatons,  and  living 
curiosities.  The  entire  edifice  was  so  thoroughly  built  over  as  to  leave 
but  little  to  remind  the  visitor  of  the  original  structure.  The  amphithe 
atre  had  a  seating  capacity  of  2,800.  It  consisted  of  parquette  and  bal 
cony,  each  completely  encircling  the  ring,  and  the  former  luxuriously  fitted 
up  with  cushioned  arm-chairs  and  sofa  seats.  The  grand  opening  took  place 
Monday  evening,  November  18th.  In  theatrical  parlance,  the  house  was 


876  A    REMARKABLE    CAMPAIGN. 

crowded  from  "  pit  to  dome."  The  leading  citizens  of  the  metropolis  were 
present,  many  of  whom  on  that  occasion  patronized  an  equestrian  enter 
tainment  for  the  first  time.  Viewed  from  the  center  of  the  ring,  the  vast 
amphitheatre  presented  a  scene  of  bewildering  beauty.  The  dazzling 
lights,  the  delightful  music  of  the  orchestra,  the  gorgeous  surroundings, 
and  the  brilliant  audience — filling  the  numerous  circles  of  seats  which  rose 
one  above  another  to  the  most  remote  outskirts  of  the  building — all  formed 
a  picture  so  unlike  anything  ever  before  seen  in  New  York,  as  to  bring  out 
detailed  and  eulogistic  editorials  from  the  press  of  the  following  morning. 
Being  recognized  among  the  audience,  I  was  called  into  the  ring,  when  I 
briefly  thanked  my  friends  for  their  generous  appreciation.  From  this  date 
the  establishment  was  open  daily  from  11  A.  M.  to  10  P.  M.,  with  hippodrome 
performances  afternoon  and  evening. 

On  December  16th,  four  weeks  after  the  inauguration  of  the  new  Four 
teenth  street  building,  I  started  for  New  Orleans,  to  visit  my  southern  show. 
I  found  the  Crescent  City  luxuriating  in  its  usual  winter  rains,  and  paddling 
through  its  regular  rations  of  mud  and  slush — happy  in  its  very  dreariness. 
The  contentment  of  the  native  population  of  New  Orleans  reaches  the  sub 
lime.  The  average  citizen  accepts  rain  and  its  kindred  elements  as  special 
attractions  indigenous  to  that  climate;  and  unless  the  levee  breaks  and  the 
turbulent  Mississippi  overflows  the  city,  they  see  no  occasion  to  murmur.-  - 
During  the  brief  intervals  of  sunshine  I  rode  through  the  principal  streets, 
met  several  old  acquaintances,  and  renewed  friendships  formed  many  years 
ago.  Changes  I  found,  it  is  true,  but  they  are  changes  resulting  from  nature 
rather  than  from  human  hands.  The  ravages  of  time  and  natural  decay  seem 
to  offset  all  the  thrift  of  which  New  Orleans  can  boast.  No  Northerner — no 
matter  how  frequent  his  visits*— fulfills  his  destiny  until  he  drives  to  the 
suburbs  and  plucks  his  fill  of  oranges.  Upon  the  occasion  of  my  visit  polit 
ical  dissensions  monopolized  public  attention.  What  with  the  continual 
skirmishing  between  the  municipal,  State  and  general  governments,  the  city 
was  in  a  most  disagreeable  turmoil ;  and  one  retired  at  night  quite  uncertain 
as  to  what  administration  would  be  in  power  in  the  morning.  Once  I  had 
occasion  to  inquire  for  the  governor's  address,  and  my  companion  innocently 
asked,  "  Which  one  ?  "  Compared  to  the  civic  and  military  imbroglio  in 
New  Orleans  in  December,  the  political  situation  of  Mexico  was  one  of 
placid  serenity. 

It  was  while  quietly  seated  at  the  breakfast  table,  at  the  St.  Louis  Hotel, 
in  the  Crescent  City,  on  Tuesday,  December  24th,  that  the  waiter  handed  me 
a  telegram.  I  had  been  reading  in  the  morning  papers  of  the  flooding  of 
my  show  grounds  on  Canal  street,  and  of  the  change  of  location  my  man 
ager  had  been  forced  to  make.  These  annoyances  had  prepared  me  when  I 
read  the  despatch  to  fully  appreciate  Longfellow's  words, 

"  So  disasters  come  not  singly." 
It  was  as  follows : 

NEW  YORK,  Dec.  84. 
To  P.  T.  BAKNUM,  New  Orleans : 

About  4  A.  M.  fire  discovered  in  boiler-room  of  circus  building ;  everything  destroyed 
except  2  elephants,  1  camel. 

S.  H.  HtJKD,  Treasurer. 


A    REMARKABLE    CAMPAIGN.  877 

Calling  for  pen,  ink  and  paper,  I  then  and  there  cabled  my  European 
agents  to  send  duplicates  of  all  animals  lost,  with  positive  instructions  to 
have  everything  shipped  in  season  to  reach  New  York  by  the  middle  of 
March.  They  were  further  directed  to  procure  at  any  cost  specimens  never 
seen  in  America,  and  through  sub-agents  to  purchase  and  forward  curiosi 
ties — animate  and  inanimate — from  all  parts  of  the  globe.  Cable  dispatches 
were  also  sent  to  the  celebrated  inventors  and  manufacturers  of  automatons, 
in  Paris,  to  lose  no  time  in  making  and  purchasing  everything  new  and  won 
derful  in  the  way  of  mechanical  effects.  This  feature  of  my  great  exhibi 
tion  had  proved  so  attractive  that  I  determined  at  once  not  only  to  duplicate 
it,  but  to  enlarge  this  department  to  double  its  original  size.  I  then  dis 
patched  the  following  to  my  son-in-law : 

NKTW  ORLEANS,  Dec.  24. 
To  S.  H.  HUBD,  New  York: 

Tell  editors  I  have  cabled  European  agents  to  expend  half  million  dollars  for  extra 
attractions ;  will  have  new  and  more  attractive  travelling  show  than  ever  early  in  April. 

P.  T.  BAENTJM. 

These  details  attended  to,  I  could  see  no  further  occasion  for  delaying 
breakfast  and  taking  a  calm  view  of  the  situation. 

The  total  destruction  of  this  beautiful  building  and  its  valuable  contents, 
was  an  item  of  news  for  which  I  was  ill  prepared,  and  the  extent  of  which 
calamity  I  could  scarcely  comprehend.  I  could  realize  in  a  measure  a  vaat 
conflagration,  with  its  excitement  and  contingent  incidents,  but  I  could  not 
think  without  a  shudder  of  the  terrible  sufferings  of  one  hundred  wild 
beasts,  in  their  frantic,  howling  efforts  to  escape  the  names.  For  a  moment 
I  was  disposed  to  censure  my  agents  and  employees  for  permitting  such  a 
wholesale  destruction  of  these  poor  animals.  Then  I  remembered  the  relia 
ble  men  I  employed,  and  could  not  but  feel  assured  that  everything  in  their 
power  had  been  done.  The  four  beautiful  giraffes — the  only  ones  in  the 
United  States,  and  which  alone  cost  $80,000 — were  lost  in  the  general  sacri 
fice.  I  learned  afterwards  that  every  effort  was  made  to  rescue  them,  but 
the  poor  innocent  pets  were  utterly  paralyzed  with  fear,  and  could  not  be 
made  to  move,  even  after  the  lattice  inclosure  had  been  torn  away.  Had 
they  escaped  the  burning  building,  the  terrible  cold  night  would  doubtless 
have  killed  them  before  they  could  have  been  sheltered  from  the  weather. 
No  pecuniary  compensation  could  satisfy  me  for  the  loss  of  these  and  many 
other  rare  animals. 

Returning  to  New  York  I  learned  that  my  loss  on  building  and  property 
amounted  to  the  neighborhood  of  $300,000.  To  meet  this  I  held  insurance 
polices  to  the  amount  of  $90,000.  My  equestrian  company,  in  which  I  took 
great  pride,  and  which  I  had  hoped  to  give  employment  during  the  winter,  wae 
of  course  left  idle  until  the  opening  of  the  summer  season.  The  members  lost 
their  entire  wardrobe,  a  loss  of  which  can  only  be  appreciated  by  profes 
sionals.  I  was  pleased  to  see  a  disposition  manifested  to  render  them  some 
assistance,  and  encouraged  it  so  far  as  lay  in  my  power.  A  benefit  waa 
arranged  under  the  auspices  of  the  Equestrian  Benevolent  Association  of  the 

*,:  '    i-^^j 


878  A    REMARKABLE    CAMPAIGN. 

Hinted  States.  The  order  has  for  its  object  the  relief  of  unfortunate  mem 
bers,  and,  as  in  the  present  case,  its  broad  mantle  of  charity  includes  worthy 
professionals  not  members  of  the  Association.  The  affair  came  off  at  the 
Academy  of  Music,  Tuesday,  January  7,  1873,  afternoon  and  evening.  Many 
stars  in  the  Equestrian,  Dramatic  and  Musical  firmament  volunteered  for  the 
occasion,  and  the  two  entertainments  were  largely  attended.  Being  called 
upon  to  "  define  my  position,"  I  stepped  upon  the  stage  and  made  a  few  off 
hand  remarks,  which  were  reported  in  the  morning  papers  as  follows  : 

LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN:  I  have  catered  for  so  many  years  for  the  amusement  of  the 
public,  that  the  beneficiaries  on  this  occasion  seem  to  have  thought  that  the  showman 
himself  ought  to  be  a  part  of  the  show  ;  and,  at  their  request,  I  come  before  you.  I  sincerely 
thank  you,  in  their  behalf,  for  your  patronage  on  this  occasion.  How  much  they  need  your 
substantial  sympathy,  the  ashes  across  the  street  can  tell  you  more  eloquently  than  human 
tongue  could  utter.  Those  ashes  are  the  remnants  of  "all  the  worldly  goods"  of  some  who 
appeal  to  you  to-day. 

For  myself,  I  have  been  burned  out  so  often,  I  am  like  the  singer  who  was  hissed  on 
the  stage  ;  "  Hiss  away,"  said  he,  "I  am  used  to  it."  My  pecuniary  loss  is  very  serious,  and 
occurring  as  it  did,  just  before  the  holidays,  it  is  all  the  more  disastrous. 

It  may  perhaps  gratify  my  friends  to  know,  however,  that  I  am  still  enabled  to  invest 
another  half  million  of  dollars  without  disturbing  my  bank  account*  The  public  will  have 
amusements,  and  they  ought  to  be  those  of  an  elevating  and  an  unobjectionable  character. 
For  many  years  it  has  been  my  pleasure  to  provide  a  class  of  instructive  and  amusing  enter 
tainments,  to  which  a  refined  Christian  mother  can  take  her  children  with  satisfaction. 

I  believe  that  no  other  man  in  America  possesses  the  desire  and  facilities  which  I  have  in 
this  direction.  I  have,  therefore,  taken  steps,  through  all  my  agents  in  Europe  and  this 
country,  which  will  enable  me  to  put  upon  the  road,  early  in  April,  the  most  gigantic  and 
complete  travelling  museum,  menagerie  and  hippodrome  ever  organized. 

d 


It  has  been  asked  whether  I  will  build  up  a  large  museum  and  menagerie  in  New  York. 
Well,  I  am  now  nearly  sixty-three  years  of  age.  I  can  buy  plenty  of  building  sites  and  get 
plenty  of  leased  lots  for  a  new  museum  ;  but  I  cannot  get  a  new  lease  of  life. 

Younger  members  of  my  family  desire  me  to  erect  in  this  eity  an  establishment  worthy  of 
New  York  and  of  myself.  It  will  be  no  small  undertaking  ;  for  if  I  erect  such  an  establish 
ment,  it  will  possess  novel  and  costly  features  never  before  attempted.  I  have  it  under 
consideration,  and  within  a  month  shall  determine  whether  or  not  I  shall  make  another  at 
tempt  ;  of  one  thing,  however,  you  may  be  assured,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  although  conflagra 
tions  may,  for  the  present,  disconcert  my  plans,  yet  while  I  have  life  and  health  no  fire  can 
burn  nor  water  quench  my  ambition  to  gratify  my  patrons  at  whatever  cost  of  money  or  of 
effort.  I  shall  never  lend  my  name  where  my  labors  and  heart  do  not  go  with  it,  and  the  public 
shall  never  fail  to  find  at  any  of  my  exhibitions  their  money's  worth  ten  times  told. 

The  following  paragraph  from  the  New  York  Tribune  of  January  16,  1873, 
-will  give  an  inkling  of  what  I  am  about,  as  I  send  these  last  pages  to  press  : 
h'jf*.  Emaa^  ori.7  ni  ;»-,ol  -rww  — 

BARNUM  AND  THE  AUTOMATON  TALKER. 

Mr  Phineas  T.  Barnum,  the  genial  showman,  contributes  a  good  deal  to  our  amusement, 
and  all  New  Yorkers  have  a  kindly  side  for  him.  Here  is  The  Philadelphia  Press's  account 
of  his  latest  achievement: 

"Early  yesterday  morning  Prof.  Faber  received  a  call,  at  the  Girard  House,  from  the 
renowned  showman,  P.  T.  Barnum,  who  is  now  on  a  visit  to  Philadelphia  in  pursuit  of  won 
ders  for  his  great  travelling  show.  Within  two  hours  Prof.  Faber  had  given  notice  to  the 
Emperor  of  Austria  of  his  forfeiture  of  £200  for  not  exhibiting  his  talking  machine  at  the 
Vienna  Exposition  next  summer,  and  a  contract  was  signed  by  Mr.  Barnum,  agreeing  to  pay 
$20,000  for  the  services  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Faber  and  their  wonderful  automaton  talker  during 
the  tenting  season  of  1873.  No  more  marvelous  exhibition  was  ever  seen  in  a  travelling  tent. 
It  is  the  most  wonderful  achievement  of  ingenuity  that  this  age  of  new  inventions  has  yet 
witnessed.  Although  it  looks  no  more  Tike  a  talking  machine  than  an  old-fashioneu 
weaver's  loom,  or  a  modern  sewing  machine,  it  converses  plainly  and  distinctly  in  all 
languages,  giving  every  intonation  of  the  human  voice  to  extraordinary  perfection.  Mr. 
JJarnum  says  that  10,000,000  of  visitors  will  hear  this  wonderful  wooden  conversationalist 
during  the  coming  Summer." 

It  is  amusing  to  witness  the  difference  in  men's  dispositions.  I  arrived  in 
New  York  from  New  Orleans  the  night  before  New  Year's,  just  a  week  after 
the  fire.  •  I  found  my  manager,  Mr.  Coup,  and  my  son-in-law,  Mr.  Hurd,  in 
jather  low  spirits.  I  laughed  at  them  and  called  them  my  deacons,  but  beg 
ged  them  not  to  go  into  mourning. 


A    REMARKABLE    CAMPAIGN.  879 

"  It's  astonishing  how  you  can  laugh  when  you  know  our  museuni  building 
and  all  of  our  rare  animals  are  burned  up,  and  we  cannot  get  more  in  time 
for  the  spring,  show/'  drawled  the  lugubrious  Coup,  in  an  injured  tone. 

"If  the  fire  had  waited  ten  days  till  the  holidays  were  over,  we 
should  have  been  $50,000  dollars  better  off,"  chimed  in  the  chop-fallen 


"  If  the  skies  had  fallen  we  should  have  caught  larks,"  I  replied  ;  "  but  as 
the  skies  did  not  fall,  let  us  be  content  with  what  is  still  left  us." 

"  As  for  you,  Coup,"  I  continued,  "  you  talk  about  what  we  cannot  do  ;  now, 
have  I  not  told  you  often  enough,  the  word  '  can't  '  is  not  in  my  dictionary  ?  " 

"  But  you  can't  help  the  fire,  can  you  ?  "  retorted  Coup. 

"  I  shall  not  try,  but  I  can  restore  all  it  has  destroyed,  and  much  more,"  I 
replied  ;  "  and  I  will  do  it  within  three  months  at  furthest." 

"  That  is  easier  said  than  done,"  responded  Coup  with  a  sigh. 

"  Surely,  Father,  you  don't  think  we  can  get  a  new  show  upon  the  road  be 
fore  July,  do  you  ?"  asked  Mr.  Hurd. 

"  I  repeat  that  I  see  nothing  to  prevent  our  exhibiting  the  largest  and  best 
show  on  this  earth,  three  months  from  to-day,"  I  replied  ;  "  all  that  is  re 
quired  are  energy,  pluck,  courage,  and  a  liberal  outlay  of  money.  All  our 
golden  chariots  and  cages,  our  horses,  harness,  canvas  tents  and  wagons  are 
saved,  besides  which  we  have  thirty  new  cages  nearly  finished.  Telegraphs, 
Atlantic  cables  and  our  agents  abroad,  can  supply  us  all  the  curiosities 
and  animals  we  want,  before  the  last  of  March  next,  if  we  will  supply 
them  with  money  enough." 

But  my  advisers  thought  I  was  too  sanguine,  and  they  said  as  much.  Coup 
even  proposed  to  lie  still  a  year,  and  start  our  show  again  in  1874.  But  I 
replied  that  my  "  years  "  were  too  few  and  too  precious  to  be  wasted  in  that 
way  ;  and  although  I  would  never  put  a  show  upon  the  road  that  did  not  ex 
ceed  in  magnitude  and  merit  that  which  we  had  lost,  I  felt  every  confidence 
in  accomplishing  this  before  April,  if  we  would  all  work  hard. 

Strange  enough,  before  we  parted  on  that  evening  of  December  31st,  I  re 
ceived  a  cable  message  from  my  trusty  agent,  Robert  Fillingham  of  London, 
saying  he  had  purchased  for  me  a  pair  of  giraffes  or  camelopards  and  a  full 
supply  of  lions,  tigers  and  other  animals.  He  added:  "All  the  Govern 
mental  Zoological  Gardens  here  and  on  the  continent  sympathize  with  you, 
and  are  ready  to  dispose  of  any  animals  you  wish.  The  mechanicians  of 
Paris  and  Geneva  are  at  work  on  automatons  and  other  a  ractions  for  your 
travelling  museum." 

"  Don't  that  electricity  beat  the  world  ?  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Coup  with  great 
delight. 

"  Just  put  a  little  of  it  into  your  blood,"  I  replied,  "  and  we  will  beat  the 
world." 

The  spirits  of  my  associates  were  thoroughly  revived,  and  at  this  present 
writing,  on  the  20th  day  of  February,  I  have  already  received  more  rare  wild 
animals  and  other  curiosities  than  I  ever  had  before  at  one  time,  with  promise 


880  A   REMARKABLE    CAMPAIGN. 

of  many  more  within  a  month,  and  Messrs.  Hurd  and  Coup  are  in  high 
feather. 

"  Mr.  Barnum,"  said  Coup  this  morning,  "  this  new  show  of  ours,  got  up  in 
so  short  a  time,  is  the  miracle  of  the  age." 

"  Well,  my  dear  fellow,"  I  replied,  "  the  public  like  miracles ;  keep  per 
forming  them  and  you  are  sure  of  success.  You  can  never  do  so  much  for 
the  public,  but  they  will  do  more  for  you  in  return.  Give  them  the  best 
show  possible,  at  whatever  cost ;  keep  it  free  from  objectionable  features, 
and  never  fear ;  your  efforts  will  surely  be  appreciated,  and  you  will  receive 
a  generous  support.  Remember, '  Excelsior '  is  our  motto." 

These  are  the  feelings  wh'ich  inspire  us  as  we  energetically  prepare  for  our 
third  campaign,  and  although  I  see  plenty  of  hard  work  ahead,  I  also  see 
bright  skies,  smiling  faces,  and  assured  success. 

FINIS. 

In  concluding  this  brief  resum6  of  the  last  year's  events,  I  would  seem 
ungrateful  did  I  fail  to  acknowledge  my  heartfelt  thankfulness  to  the  pub 
lic  and  the  press,  for  the  generous  and  unqualified  expressions  of  sympathy 
on  account  of  the  great  calamity  of  December  24th.  Editors  throughout 
the  United  States  and  Europe  have  written  of  this  conflagration,  and  of  those 
which  preceded  it,  and  have  attributed  to  me  a  degree  of  perseverance  I  fear 
beyond  my  deserts.  If  the  fiery  ordeal  has  had  any  visible  effect,  it  has 
been  to  increase  my  desire  to  identify  my  name  with  a  class  of  entertain 
ments  at  once  moral,  amusing  and  instructive.  Colossal  as  was  the  Great 
Travelling  World's  Fair  of  1872,  that  of  1873  will  surpass  it. 

With  full  confidence  in  that  just  discrimination  which  recognizes  and 
rewards  true  merit,  I  remain,  as  ever,  the  public's  obedient  servant. 

P.  T.  B. 

FBBRUABY,  1873. 


;.  .'f^Pf. 


LIBRARIES 


880 


A    REMARKABLE    CAMPAiv 


of  many  more  within  a  month,  and  Messrs.  Hurd  and 
feather. 

"Mr.  Barnum,"  said  Coup  this  morning,  « this  new  shox 
so  short  a  time,  is  the  miracle  of  the  age." 
"Well,  my  dear  fellow,"  I  replied,  "tw 


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